The Kentucky Wildcats open the college basketball season as Sports Illustrated’s number one team in the nation as coach John Calipari brings a loaded squad that features nine McDonald’s All-Americans.
In what seems like a rite of passage each November, the Kentucky Wildcats open the college basketball season looking down at the other 350 Division I programs, as coach John Calipari’s squad earned the top spot during Sports Illustrated’s unveiling of its top 25 teams.
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Kentucky finished 29-11 last season, overcoming sluggish play in Southeastern Conference play before surging to an eventual loss to Connecticut in the national championship game, returns with a roster that features nine McDonald’s All-Americans.
The Wildcats greatly benefited from the fact that guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison and forward Willie Cauley-Stein each bypassed the NBA draft to return to play alongside highly-touted freshmen Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Townes and Devin Booker.
Arizona was ranked second, followed by Wisconsin, Duke, Kansas, Florida, Louisville, Villanova, Virginia and Gonzaga rounding out the top 10.
Connecticut was ranked 19th in the poll.
While the rest of the top 25 is filled with the usual powerhouses (North Carolina, 11th, Ohio State, 13th, Michigan State, 21st, Syracuse, 23rd), the addition of SMU (ranked 17th) is perhaps the biggest surprise. The Mustangs have undergone a revival under coaching legend Larry Brown, who was able to bring back five of the Mustangs’ top six scorers from last year’s team that won 27 games. SMU was shockingly left out of the Big Dance, yet used the snub as motivation in en route to reaching the NIT finals.
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