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 |