ESPN's preseason Basketball Power Index rankings are out and Kentucky is 5th. Not 5th in the country; 5th in the SEC.
The Cats are ranked 22nd in the nation, behind Tennessee (3rd), Florida (12th), Auburn (18th), and Alabama (20th).
ESPN's Jeff Borzello explains, "The reason... is the fact the model heavily weighs returning production, as history shows returning starters do better than five-star freshmen in general… Kentucky saw seven players depart from last season”.