Kentucky is ranked in the first AP Poll of the 2024-25 season

The Wildcats will start the season ranked.

Oct 11, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope fist bumps forward Brandon Garrison (10) during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The College Basketball season is almost here, and that means it's time for the preseason rankings. Kentucky fans got their first taste of this year's team, and now know if where the Wildcats will begin the season among the top 25. On Monday, the Associated Press released their preseason top 25, and Kentucky is No. 23 in the country.

That's where the Wildcats will be at when the season begins, and there will be plenty of room to climb throughout the season. As far as conference foes go, there are a handful of teams who will start the season rannked ahead of them. Alabama ranks No. 2 in the country, followed by Auburn (No. 11), Tennessee (No. 12), Texas A&M (No. 13), Arkansas (No. 16), and Florida (No. 21), with Ole Miss right behind the Wildcats at 24th in the nation. The conference is going to be as loaded this season as it has been in a long time.

Outside of the Wildcats tough conference schedule, they will also have some intriguing out-of-conference matchups. The first big test of the season will be against Duke in the Champions Classic on Nov. 12. Then, they'll hit the road at Clemson, facing the Tigers in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 3. It doesn't get any easier, as they'll be taking on Gonzaga (Dec. 7), who will begin the season at No. 6 overall just outside the top 5. The Wildcats will also be taking on former Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw and Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 21.

Kentucky will have a tough schedule this season, but you've got to think that the experience will help with that, especially with the early-season tests. The Mark Pope era will officially begin real soon.