The collegiate basketball season of 2024–2025 is expected to be intriguing due to numerous head coaching changes, particularly in the SEC. Following John Calipari’s departure for Arkansas, Mark Pope was appointed head basketball coach of Kentucky by Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart.
Due to the loss of nearly the entire recruiting class, Coach Pope was forced to rebuild the team this offseason. He accomplished this by bringing in seasoned, seasoned players from the web.
Teams that have advanced to the Final Four in recent years typically feature a large senior class of players who have participated in multiple years of collegiate hoops. Coach Pope used this model to assemble his first team as head basketball coach of Kentucky because a large number of players in his transfer portal class have experience playing collegiate hoops.
For this reason, it’s odd that Kentucky didn’t appear on a lot of way too early top 25 lists. The Wildcats aren’t even on most ranking rankings, despite having a roster that could be among the top 25.
Big Blue Nation shouldn’t be alarmed by this, as this squad possesses the ideal balance of strength, speed, and defense to contend in the SEC and, ideally, advance far in the NCAA Tournament.
Lists of preseason rankings are meaningless, particularly for the players. When the season arrives, Coach Pope’s team might use it as content for their bulletin boards. By season’s end, this club will be ranked considerably higher.
