The preseason college basketball coaches poll is out and a panel of 32 Division I head coaches believe Kentucky is the fourth best team in the country. First is Duke (predictably), followed by Kansas and Villanova. Despite the #4 ranking, it’s worth noting that Kentucky did receive two first-place votes, the second most of any team on the list.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1ST PLACE VOTES |
| 1 | Duke | 25-11 | 792 | 27 |
| 2 | Kansas | 33-5 | 721 | 1 |
| 3 | Villanova | 35-5 | 700 | 1 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 27-9 | 695 | 2 |
| 5 | Oregon | 31-7 | 620 | 1 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 33-7 | 614 | |
| 7 | Virginia | 29-8 | 596 | |
| 8 | Xavier | 28-6 | 552 | |
| 9 | Michigan St | 29-6 | 544 | |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 22-13 | 487 | |
| 11 | Arizona | 25-9 | 468 | |
| 12 | Indiana | 27-8 | 435 | |
| 13 | Gonzaga | 28-8 | 371 | |
| 14 | Louisville | 23-8 | 367 | |
| 15 | Purdue | 26-9 | 324 | |
| 16 | Connecticut | 25-11 | 239 | |
| 17 | Syracuse | 23-14 | 224 | |
| 18 | West Virginia | 26-9 | 204 | |
| 19 | St. Mary’s | 29-6 | 203 | |
| 20 | UCLA | 15-17 | 185 | |
| 21 | Maryland | 27-9 | 153 | |
| 22 | Texas | 20-13 | 124 | |
| 23 | Creighton | 20-15 | 113 | |
| 24 | Rhode Island | 17-15 | 85 | |
| 25 | Cincinnati | 22-11 | 75 |