Where was Kentucky basketball ranked in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25?

Kentucky basketball receives a ranking in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25.

Kentucky head basketball coach Mark Pope listened while Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey spoke at the 2024 Leadership Louisville Luncheon at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

A while back, Jeff Borzello released a Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the upcoming college basketball season, and he had the Kentucky Wildcats ranked 23rd. Borzello recently updated the top 25 list, and in this updated ranking, he has the Wildcats still at the 23rd spot.

Here is Borzello's thoughts on the Kentucky Wildcats and why he had them ranked 23rd.

While there are other teams in the rankings that underwent rebuilds, none were as significant as Kentucky's. Zero players returned to Lexington from last season, and Pope is bringing only one with him from BYU. There are a lot of intriguing players -- and ample experience -- on the Wildcats roster, but it could take time for them to mesh.

- Jeff Borzello on Kentucky

Many folks in the college basketball world share the concern Borzello discusses in this article about all of these transfers needing to mesh for this season to go well. While this is a fair concern, Mark Pope has gone out of his way to make sure all of these players are bonding on and off the floor. It seems very clear that this roster won't have any issue clicking on the floor, which does happen a lot with teams made up fully in the portal.

Coach Pope did an excellent job of making this an early priority for this team, and that will help once the Wildcats get on the floor here in a few weeks. Having Kentucky ranked 23rd overall is fair, but this team's upside is much higher than this.