ESPN has released their top 25 rankings for next season and the Cats are in the hunt.
Kentucky is #5.
This might be the team with the most up in the air in terms of the NBA draft. As a projected lottery pick, Tyrese Maxey is likely to go pro. But Ashton Hagans, Nick Richards and Immanuel Quickley are all ranked in the Nos. 45-60 range in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings — so all three could go either way. Richards and Quickley were two of the best players in the SEC this season, with both enjoying breakout campaigns. Hagans is an elite defensive point guard who had some offensive inconsistencies late in the season. And here’s a surprise: John Calipari is bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Five-star wings B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke could start immediately, and five-star point guard Devin Askew will step in if Hagans leaves. Four-star Isaiah Jackson will provide some rim protection. Kentucky could theoretically be the preseason No. 1 if everyone returns, but there’s a lot left to play out in Lexington.
Read “Villanova tops college basketball’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2020-21” by clicking here.
