Kentucky is going to be really good. Perhaps great. But John Calipari is currently starting five freshmen, none of whom are guaranteed lottery picks, and it's showing on the court. Yes, the Wildcats are 2-0 heading into Tuesday's showdown with Kansas, the No. 3 team in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). But Kentucky struggled in a 73-63 victory over Utah Valley on Friday night, then had to hang on to beat Vermont, 73-69, on Sunday afternoon. Add it up, and UK has won its two games by an average of only 7.0 points even though it was favored by an average of 16.0 points. So, obviously, the Wildcats are still figuring things out. And history suggests they probably will in time. But it's possible we'll look up in a few weeks and realize UK's preseason ranking was a little high based on where the team is right now.
UK is No. 6 in the Top 25 (and one).
Here's the complete Top 25 (and one).
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Marvin Bagley got 24 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's win over Utah Valley. The freshman forward is averaging 24.5 points and 10.0 rebounds through two games for the undefeated Blue Devils. | -- | 27-9 |
| 2 |  | Allonzo Trier scored 30 points in Sunday's win over UMBC. The junior guard is averaging 31.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range through two games. | -- | 27-9 |
| 3 |  | Devonte' Graham got 10 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in Friday's victory over Tennessee State. The Jayhawks cruised in the game despite the absence of Billy Preston, who served a one-game suspension for what Bill Self called a curfew violation. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | Miles Bridges finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's win over North Florida. Freshman forward Jaren Jackson added 13 points and 13 rebounds in his debut. | -- | 20-15 |
| 5 |  | The Shockers held UMKC to 27.7 percent shooting in Friday's victory over the Kangaroos. Landry Shamet finished with 17 points on seven field goal attempts. | -- | 15-19 |
| 6 |  | The Wildcats are shooting only 33.3 percent from 3-point range through two games. Hamidou Diallo is averaging 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists for UK. | -- | 23-10 |
| 7 |  | Omari Spellman, who was ineligible last season, finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's victory over Columbia. Donte DiVincenzo added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. | -- | 18-16 |
| 8 |  | Five Trojans, including Chimezie Metu, reached double-figures in points in Friday's win over Cal State Fullerton. USC held D'Anthony Melton out of the game because of lingering concerns from the ongoing FBI investigation. | -- | 15-18 |
| 9 |  | The Gators open the season Monday against Gardner-Webb. They'll do so without John Egbunu, who is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season. | -- | 24-12 |
| 10 |  | The Hurricanes shot 54.7 percent from the field in Sunday's win over Navy. They did this despite sophomore guard Bruce Brown making just one of the 10 shots he attempted. | -- | 15-17 |
| 11 |  | Luke Maye finished with a career-high 26 points, on 16 shots, in Friday's win over Northern Iowa. The Tar Heels played without Joel Berry, who is out with a broken hand. | -- | 29-8 |
| 12 |  | Bonzie Colson finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in Saturday's win at DePaul. Temple Gibbs added a career-high 21 points on 11 field goal attempts. | -- | 13-20 |
| 13 |  | Jordan Murphy got 35 points and 15 rebounds in Friday's victory over South Carolina Upstate. Nine of his rebounds were offensive rebounds. | -- | 19-15 |
| 14 |  | Scottie Lindsey finished with 26 points and nine rebounds in Friday's win over Loyola (Md.). The Wildcats won despite blowing a 17-point lead in the second half. | -- | 22-12 |
| 15 |  | The Bearcats took 39 3-pointers in Friday's victory over Savannah State. Justin Jenifer finished with 15 points and five assists off the bench. | -- | 22-15 |
| 16 |  | The Zags made 11 3-pointers in Friday's win over Texas Southern. Josh Perkins, who finished with a game-high 20 points, was responsible for six of them. | -- | 27-8 |
| 17 |  | Five Bears scored at least 15 points in Friday's victory over Central Arkansas. Baylor shot a school-record 70.6 percent from 3-point range in the game. | -- | 24-11 |
| 18 |  | David Padgett got his first career win as a head coach Sunday when the Cardinals overcame a second-half deficit to beat George Mason. Deng Adel finished with a game-high 20 points. | -- | 8-24 |
| 19 |  | The Crimson Tide beat Memphis by double-digits Friday even though Avery Johnson was without four of his top six players. McDonald's All-American Collin Sexton is expected to make his debut Tuesday against Lipscomb. | -- | 25-12 |
| 20 |  | Kris Wilkes made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points in Friday's win over Georgia Tech. Aaron Holiday added 11 points and seven assists. | -- | 16-17 |
| 21 |  | Calvin Hermanson scored 24 points and gabbed seven rebounds in Saturday's win over Saint Francis (Pa.). Jock Landale added 13 points and eight rebounds. | -- | 26-8 |
| 22 |  | Tevon Bluiett took 12 shots, made nine and finished with a game-high 25 points in Friday's win over Morehead State. J.P. Macura added 18 points and five steals. | -- | 16-18 |
| 23 |  | The Aggies had the nation's most impressive victory Friday - specifically a 23-point destruction of West Virginia. Admon Gilder and Tyler Davis each scored 23 points. | -- | 21-15 |
| 24 |  | Carsen Edwards finished with a career-high 25 points in Sunday's win over Chicago State. Vince Edwards added 15 points and 12 rebounds - making him the nation's only active player with at least 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 300 career assists. | -- | 34-5 |
| 25 |  | Stanford Robinson, who began his career at Indiana, finished with 18 points and seven steals off the bench in Friday's win over UNC Asheville. Andre Berry added 15 points in 17 minutes. | -- | 12-20 |
| 26 |  | Maliek White scored a team-high 13 points off the bench in Friday's win over Houston Baptist. Nine different Providence players recorded at least one steal. | -- | 21-14 |
