More often than not, preseason polls overestimate teams, very rarely is there a team that is underrated, as expectations aren’t too high just yet. However, this year is different, in the current preseason polls, the Kentucky Wildcats are ranked all over the place in the Top 5. There is no concrete idea of what the Kentucky Wildcats are made of in preseason polls, but one thing you can say is that some people are underestimating this team.
Should they be ranked first? That’s up for discussion, there is no strong evidence that they’re going to be better than Duke, but there really isn’t anything saying they won’t be either.
Duke is extremely deep and just as loaded as the Wildcats are, but talent wise, they’re pretty equivalent in my mind. Especially with the maturity that Isaiah Briscoe has shown thus far, even though it’s only been through an exhibition and playing against his own team, he’s grown a lot since last season. I’ll be honest and say that I kind of expected him to try and be a ball hog and to run the game on his own terms. I was wrong, I’m glad I was wrong. So, I’d say there is no clear cut reason why Duke would be ranked over the Wildcats.
Some poles have Kansas and/or Villanova ranked above of the Wildcats. Honestly, this doesn’t make much sense to me at all. Sure, Kansas is loaded, but they’re loaded every year and they’re overhyped more often than not. And for Villanova, I know they won the National Championship last year, but I’m not convinced they’re going to do much this season.
The tenacity and talent the Wildcats have will prevail through adversity. It’s always better to prove people they were wrong and be better than expected rather than failing to meet expectations. The Wildcats may be underestimated right now, but I expect things to shake up a bit once the season really begins.
