Preseason Ratings Show Toughness of Kentucky's 2022-23 Schedule

Kentucky basketball will open its season in less than three weeks, welcoming the Howard Bison to Rupp Arena on Nov. 7.

It's year 14 of the John Calipari era in Lexington, and as always, the hype train is picking up steam as the Cats are once again favorites to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

With the season rapidly approaching, that means it's also time for preseason rankings. Kentucky is No. 4 in the Preseason AP Poll, behind just North Carolina, Gonzaga and Houston.

What's potentially even more valuable than the rankings, however, is preseason ratings. If you've been around the college basketball world long enough, you've heard the name Ken Pomeroy. KenPom's analytics system takes in a bevy of statistics and projections, spitting out a ratings scale, from the best team in the nation, all the way down to No. 363.

The preseason KenPom ratings placed the Wildcats at No. 1. A similar system created by Evan Miyakawa has Kentucky at No. 4, just like the AP Poll.

While Kentucky's placement is promising to Big Blue Nation, looking at the ratings of the Cats' opponents this season make you realize how daunting of a lineup Calipari's group will have to go through from November to March.

Below is the average rating for each of Kentucky's opponents this season, using the mean between the two sets of data from Pomeroy and Miyakawa. The higher rating between the two for each school is in parentheses.

Howard: 277 (KP 239)
Duquesne: 170 (KP 133)
Michigan State: 22 (EM 13)
SC State: 336.5 (EM 326)
Gonzaga: 2 (EM 1)
North Florida: 237 (KP 219)
Bellarmine: 237.5 (EM 233)
Michigan: 27.5 (KP 26)
Yale: 137.5 (EM 118)
UCLA: 13.5 (KP 11)
Florida A&M: 356.5 (KP 356)
Missouri: 65 (KP 41)
Louisville: 88 (EM 85)
LSU: 40.5 (KP 40)
Alabama: 19.5 (KP 18)
South Carolina: 111.5 (KP 78)
Tennessee: 4.5 (KP 4)
Georgia: 112.5 (KP 93)
Texas A&M: 35 (EM 25)
Vanderbilt: 71 (KP 66)
Kansas: 7.5 (EM 7)
Ole Miss: 60 (KP 49)
Florida: 30.5 (EM 26)
Arkansas: 22 (KP 14)
Mississippi State: 48.5 (EM 44)
Auburn: 14 (KP 13)

Tough, Tough Schedule

Using these ratings, Kentucky will play 17 teams rated in the top 100. 12 of those schools are in the top 50, while eight of those are in the top 25. Once these tip-top games start, they'll continue to come quick for the rest of the season.

Last season, UK was criticized for playing a decent amount of really bad programs that had no business being on the same court as the Cats. This season, they're set to face just three teams rated in the bottom 100 (Howard - 277, SC State - 336.5, Florida A&M - 356.5.)

Five of Kentucky's six non-conference Power Five opponents are inside the top 30, with rivals Louisville (88) being the odd team out:

Gonzaga (2)
Kansas (7.5)
UCLA (13.5)
Michigan State (22)
Michigan (27.5)

Kentucky's full 2022-23 schedule with dates and times can be found here.

SEC

The growth of the SEC in basketball has become well documented. Tennessee and Auburn have become mainstays in the top of the conference, while Arkansas is finally staying the mix consistently.

Just two teams from the SEC are rated outside of the top 100 when combining the two systems. South Carolina lands at 111.5, though KenPom has the Gamecocks much higher than Miyakawa at 78. Georgia is just behind at 112.5, though again KenPom has the Bulldogs inside triple digits at 93.

In conference play, the Cats will take on all of the following twice:

Tennessee (4)
Arkansas (22)
Florida (30.5)
Vanderbilt (71)
Georgia (112.5)

UK drew Auburn and Alabama, the third and fourth highest rated teams in the SEC, just once each.

It's important to note that these are just preseason ratings. Things are going to happen to each team this season that are beyond the control of any metric or analytic. We'll look back at these midway through the season and realize that some were spot on, and some not so much.

That being said, I'll take the value of these numbers over the opinion of those who vote for the Associated Press.

Kentucky Basketball News

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Freshmen Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston Are Projected to be First Round NBA Draft Picks

5-Star '24 Center Flory Bidunga Has Been Offered by Kentucky

Kentucky and Indiana are reportedly in discussions to play one-another in a multi-year series

Aaron Bradshaw, '23 5-star Center, Committed to Kentucky

The Wildcats are ranked No. 4 in the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll

Wildcats Today will have updates on scheduling, injuries, updates and more on Kentucky Basketball as the Cats near the start of their 2022-23 season.

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