No matter what kind of roster John Calipari has trotted out on opening night of the previous 14 seasons as Kentucky’s coach, his Wildcats have always started out projected to be among the elite teams in college basketball.
It’s looking increasingly likely that will change in year 15 of the Calipari era.
The first wave of “way too early” rankings for the 2023-24 season hit immediately after the NCAA Tournament ended in April, and the Wildcats were right there near the top of just about every list. Back then, ESPN had UK at No. 4 in the country, several major outlets placed the Cats within the top 10, and nearly every national list ranked Kentucky as a top-15 team.
