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Kentucky Wildcats earn top spot in preseason poll
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Kentucky Wildcats are in familiar territory.
For the second consecutive season, the Wildcats sit atop the first preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll, which was released Thursday.
Kentucky garnered 24 of the 32 first-place votes. No. 2 Arizona earned three, No. 3 Duke received two first-place votes and No. 4 Wisconsin received No. 1 consideration with three votes.
Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Louisville and Texas round
out the top 10.
Kentucky was voted preseason No. 1 last year based on an influx of high school All-Americans. The team jelled midseason and caught fire on its way to the national championship game where the Connecticut Huskies beat the Wildcats, 60-54.
Head coach John Calipari welcomes back most of that team. Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison will be joined by another group of highly sought recruits, including centers Karl Towns and Trey Lyles.
“I never expected my guys to return like they did,” Calipari told USA TODAY. “I’ve never had to coach this way, playing so many guys. It’s the only way to do it right so these kids get the chance they deserve. But there’s a real challenge here. They have to become great teammates. Can they share? Can they sacrifice? Can they handle adversity together?”
The Wildcats open their season on Nov.14 against Grand Canyon.
