14. Kentucky (3-0)
After fifteen years under John Calipari, the vibes are very different in Lexington this year with Mark Pope in charge. For starters, not a single member of this Kentucky squad was here last season, nor had any of them played together previously, coming from all corners of the country and very different experiences. Teams built like this usually need time to gel and can have uneven results, though the Wildcats certainly came together this past week.
Following two 100-point performances in the opening week, Kentucky faced their first significant challenge at the Champions Classic in Atlanta against a Top 10 Duke squad. The Wildcats fought the entire game and came away with a 77-72 upset win over the Blue Devils. Even with challenges in the paint, the Wildcats prospered, getting 17 points from Andrew Carr and 15 out of Otega Oweh in a true team win.
Any early questions we had about this team have been answered with authority. Obviously, one win against Duke doesn’t make a season and the Wildcats still have plenty of things to shore up moving forward, but this was a fantastic start for Pope in his first year at the helm. We’ll likely see a chance for their offensive muscles to flex even more, with their next four games at home against mid-majors, starting off against a feisty Lipscomb team early next week.