Dick Vitale of ESPN gives us his “Vitale: Preseason Top 40” basketball rankings. Dickie V made some changes to his most recent poll where the Cats were ranked 6th overall.
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His top 5 remains the same:
1. Duke
2. Michigan State
3. Purdue
4. Ohio State
5. Villanova
The Cats have fallen from 6 to 11. Here are Vital’s comments on why:
[QUOTE][B]11. Kentucky:[/B] John Calipari won’t rebuild; he will simply reload. Brandon Knight is the latest diaper dandy to have an immediate impact on a Calipari-led program, but the uncertain status of incoming Enes Kanter led to a Wildcat drop.[/QUOTE]From an SEC Perspective, Vitale has the Gators rated above Kentucky at Number 7. Florida ([I]Billy Donovan’s club will challenge Kentucky for supremacy in the SEC. Kenny Boynton should have a sensational season in Gator Country – Dick Vitale[/I]) is bringing back all five starters, but I can’t see Florida topping the cats and taking the SEC East or Overall championship, with or without Kanter.
Here are some other rankings of possible interest:
[B]9. North Carolina[/B] – Time will tell on this team. They grab the number 4 recruiting class of 2010 after ending with the 5th best in 2009, lose the twins and gain Harrison Barnes. An equal trade but not sure if the Heels are up for a Top 10 after their dismal 2009-10 season.
[B]12. Tennessee[/B] – “AT&T, may I help you?”
[B]15. Washington[/B] – After an off-season war where the Huskies saw Calipari grab Jones and Kanter from the grip of Lorenzo Romar, this possible Maui match up will be one for the ages.
[B]25. Kansas[/B] – Josh Selby. Will he play? Like Kanter, this decision will impact the Jayhawks 2010-11 final rankings.
[B]28. Georgia[/B] – Coming off a 14-17 season where the Dawgs finished next to last in the SEC at 5-11, this was a surprise. A 2010 recruiting class ranked 11th in the SEC won’t help the cause much either, but Vitale believes Trey Thomkins and Coach Mark Fox will be the difference this year.
[B]30. Louisville[/B] – I personally wish Rick the best of luck. With that, enough said…
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Where do you think Kentucky will end this year both in the polls and the SEC? Give us your opinion…[/COLOR]
Go Cats!!!
Contact Chip Miller with your Kentucky questions or comments at [EMAIL=”[email protected]”][email protected][/EMAIL] or via twitter at [URL=”http://twitter.com/ukbigbluenation”]@ukbigbluenation[/URL].
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/news/story?id=5292918″] Full article at ESPN.[/URL]
