College basketball 2017-18 preseason Top 25

By Chris Stone | Nov 8, 2017

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 16: Allonzo Trier #35 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles Sigu #1 of the Mataro All-Stars during the Arizona In Espana Foreign Tour game between Mataro All-Stars and Arizona on August 16, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /

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MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 26: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats gestures in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats

Notable departures: Bam Adebayo, Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Dominique Hawkins, Isaac Humphries, Malik Monk, Mychal Mulder, Derek Willis
Notable returnees: Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones, Tai Wynyard
Notable newcomers: Jermarl Baker, Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Quade Green, Kevin Knox, Nick Richards, Jarred Vanderbilt, P.J. Washington

A season removed from the transition antics of De’Aaron Fox and the sweet shooting of Malik Monk, the Kentucky Wildcats will once again look to retool around a fresh crop of 5-star recruits. The 2017-18 roster will likely try to run just as much as the one prior to it — something that has historically been uncharacteristic for Kentucky teams under head coach John Calipari — but without Monk’s floor spacing, this team will need to find new ways to create in the halfcourt given its lack of proven shooting.

Given that the roster is full of big athletes at nearly every position, one way for Calipari to improve his team’s offensive efficiency will be crashing the offensive boards. It’s not an unfamiliar strategy to the head coach. In six of his eight seasons in Lexington, the Wildcats have finished in the top 50 nationally in offensive rebound rate. The size of Kevin Knox, Nick Richards, Jarred Vanderbilt and P.J. Washington should give Calipari plenty of dangerous rebounders to chase down any of those initial misses.

On the other end of the floor, things should be business as usual for Kentucky. Under Calipari, the team has finished in the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency on four occasions. The 2017-18 Wildcats should be primed to do so again. They’ll be bigger than their opponents at nearly every position and while it may take some time to click, eventually talent plays a significant role. This Kentucky squad should be able to combine defensive tenacity with transition scoring and offensive rebounding to once again be one of the top teams in the country.

Read our full Kentucky preview here.