Matt Norlander of CBS Sports has Kentucky at No. 4 in this preseason college basketball rankings.
Norlander has Kansas at No. 1 despite the likelihood that Silvio De Sousa will never play for the Jayhawks again. He has Gonzaga at No. 2 and Nevada just ahead of Kentucky at No. 3:
3. Nevada
I’ve made this point all offseason, but since we’re all together right now allow me to say it one more time: If Nevada’s roster situation were applied to a school in a power conference coming off a Sweet 16, chances are high that team would be ranked No. 1 in the preseason. I only barely like Kansas and Gonzaga more than Nevada, which boasts nine (!) transfers on its roster. The standouts being Caleb Martin (18.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Cody Martin and Jordan Caroline. Then you take into account top-20 2018 prospect Jordan Brown. Eric Musselman’s got a bunch of grown-up men on this roster. The Wolf Pack will be a national title contender for the first time in school history.
4. Kentucky
The Wildcats’ roster hasn’t been better set up to win a national championship since the 2014-15 team that went 38-1 and had Karl-Anthony Towns. This one has all the pieces that suggest John Calipari is banking on reaching the seventh Final Four of his career. Grad transfer Reid Travis will average a double-double. Sophomore P.J. Washington will Hulk-flex an average of four times per game. Freshman Keldon Johnson might be the best pro prospect. Freshman Tyler Herro could grow into the dagger man by January, and heck, maybe he averages 15 points. Sophomore Quade Green could be the one who holds it all together. There’s plenty more, too. This is a deep team and it shouldn’t take long to get it right.
Personally, I think Kentucky would be favored by double figures over Nevada.
Ironically enough, Kansas is also currently ranked No. 1 on the FBI’s most wanted list.
