Athlon Sports released their 2019-20 preseason college basketball rankings and Kentucky is looking down at every other team.
The Cats are #1 not only in our hearts but in Athlon’s Preseason Rankings:
1. Kentucky Wildcats
Key Returners: EJ Montgomery, Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Nick RichardsDepartures: Reid Travis, P.J. Washington, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson
New Arrivals: Kahlil Whitney, Tyrese Maxey, Kelon Brooks, Johnny Juzang, Dontale Allen, Nate Sestina
Buzz: Kentucky losing a raft of NBA-caliber players, only for John Calipari and his staff to replace them with more, is nothing new. An intriguing angle to Kentucky’s 2019-20 roster, however, is the veteran presence there to welcome the loaded freshman class.
EJ Montgomery’s surprise withdrawal from the draft pool sets the foundation. Nick Richards gives Kentucky a potentially elite rim protector, which will work nicely in conjunction with Ashton Hagans’ tenacious, on-ball defense. The addition of Bucknell transfer Nate Sestina (15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds per game in 2018-19) provides another veteran presence, who should immediately mesh in the same vein as Reid Travis a season ago. Now combine that with the influx of talent — in particular, 5-star prospects Kelon Brooks, Tyrese Maxey and Kahlil Whitney — and Kentucky has the formula for a Final Four run.
Read “Early College Basketball Top 25 for 2019-20” by clicking here.
So if the Cats get Blackshear Jr can they still move up?
