Oftentimes, ranking teams in any sport before the season even begins is a risky proposition.

It can be especially true in college basketball, with teams undergoing numerous changes in their lineup and rotation every season.

Most close observers of the sport did not have Connecticut as their preseason favorite to win the national championship last year, but the Huskies proved many so-called experts wrong.

It seems that is the case more often than not.

Sure, the usual suspects at the top of the rankings will factor into who eventually advances in March, but there are also disappointing results for some highly-ranked teams in the preseason polls. On the other hand, there are usually a few surprise teams who emerge as legitimate contenders once the Big Dance tips off.

Which brings us to the Kentucky Wildcats, who aren’t getting the love in the preseason that they are accustomed to.

The Associated Press poll was released this week, and the Cats are ranked 16th, the lowest preseason prediction in the John Calipari era. Coach Cal is entering his 15th year at Kentucky, and they’re coming off a 22-12 season

a year ago that ended in a second-round loss to Kansas State in the NCAA East Regional.

The last several years have not been up to the standard that Calipari set for himself and the program during his first 11 years in Lexington, when UK averaged 30 wins per season. The 2021-2022 season ended with a disappointing loss to St. Peter’s in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, and the prior year was Calipari’s worst season at UK, when the Cats went 9-16.

This year’s squad is a return to familiar territory for Calipari, who has relied on production from freshmen throughout most of his tenure. The class is impressive, and a couple of veterans – Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell – are also expected to be major contributors.

The pollsters are a bit skeptical however.

The Coaches Poll, conducted by USA Today, also has Kentucky in the 16th spot. Lindy’s, which is always the first entity to put out its annual college basketball yearbook, has the Cats ranked 18th. The website 247 Sports has them in the 24th spot, while John Fanta of Fox Sports has Kentucky unranked. The Cats’ Pause is a bit more optimistic, ranking the Wildcats 10th, and Sports Illustrated agrees, rating them 10th as well.

The preseason polls overwhelmingly rank Kansas as the team to beat, with Duke, Purdue, Michigan State,

Marquette, UConn, Houston, Creighton, Tennessee and Florida Atlantic rounding out the top 10 in the AP poll.

Arguments can be made when it comes to the rankings, and that’s just one reason there are polls to begin with. They increase fan interest and give folks something to discuss while we await the start of the season.

Is Kentucky the 16th best team in the country, or are they better (or worse) than that opinion?

We will find out early in the season, when the Cats face off against Kansas on November 14 in the Champions Classic in Chicago. That game will mark Kentucky’s first real test of the season after opening with New Mexico State and Texas A&M-Commerce in their first two games.

The preseason polls are certain to change radically once January rolls around, and we get a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of teams across the nation.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kentucky back in the top 10 sooner than later. They will undergo a few growing pains, but this team has a world of talent, and Coach Cal may feel more comfortable working with the young talent at his disposal.

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HUGE CLASH IN COLUMBUS – The highlight game of today’s college football slate will be taking place at noon just up the road at Ohio Stadium.

That’s kickoff time for a game with national title implications, with Penn State visiting Ohio State, in a critical matchup between a pair of top-10, undefeated teams. The 7th-ranked Nittany Lions and 3rd-ranked Buckeyes are both looking to keep hope alive in their quest for a berth in the College Football Playoff race, and this contest could go a long way in determining just who will make the CFP.

Both teams rely on stout defenses, which could make this an old fashioned, grind-it-out, Big-10 affair. Look for the Buckeyes to get receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. involved early, but a key for the OSU defense will be stopping the Lions’ ground game. Ohio State has dominated the series in recent years, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings, and they enter the game as a 4.5 favorite.

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10TH REGION VOLLEYBALL FIELD SET – The draw for the pairings in the 10th Region Volleyball Tournament will be conducted today, but we do know who the participants will be in the eight-team field of the event that begins Monday at Harrison County High School.

This year’s favorite is 40th District champion George Rogers Clark. The Lady Cardinals (25-5) have won 19 of their last 20 matches and have been at the top of the KHSAA RPI ratings for weeks. GRC defeated 10-19

Bourbon County 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-19) to win the district title for the second consecutive year.

The always strong and competitive 37th District featured a matchup between Campbell County and Scott for the championship, and the Lady Eagles prevailed, with a 3-2 victory. Scott won the first two sets 25-17 and 25-22 before the Camels rallied to take the next two by scores of 25-20 and 25-18, setting up the fifth and deciding set. The Lady Eagles held off Campbell 15-13 for the win to improve to 22-15. The Camels fell to 16-13 with the loss.

Harrison County defeated Pendleton County 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-13) to again win the 38th District championship. The Fillies (27-9) claimed their 11th consecutive district title with the victory. The LadyCats fell to 16-13 after losing to Harrison for the 28th time in a row. The Fillies are ranked second to top-ranked GRC in the RPI ratings, but you can never count out the northern Kentucky schools, Scott and Campbell County, at region tournament time. The schools squared off in the 10th Region title game seven times from 2012-2020, with the Lady Eagles winning four of those meetings, including a 3-0 win in 2020.

In the 39th, the championship match featured rivals Augusta and Bracken County. The Lady Panthers (6-26) put up a valiant fight, but the 22-15 Lady Bears held them off for a 3-1 win to earn their first district title since 2019.

Bracken won the opening set 25-11 before Augusta rallied to win the second set 25-23, setting up a thriller in the third set. The Lady Bears prevailed to win it in extra time 28-26 and clinched the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth and final set. Bracken has won 14 of the last 16 matches between the longtime county foes.

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HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS UPDATE – In a recent column, we discussed the upcoming high school basketball season, and included quotes from this recently released Cats’ Pause 2023-24 Basketball Yearbook.

One item concerned the eligibility of the Reed brothers, Blake and Cayden, who transferred from Bracken County to Mason County. Hal Morris, a freelance writer who penned the 10th Region preview, noted the pair had not been cleared as of the time he wrote the piece back in the summertime.

Well, recently the KHSAA determined that they will be able to play for the Royals this season. The preview also states that Mason County (29-6 and the region runners-up to George Rogers Clark last year) is the favorite to win the region, with Harrison County, GRC, Campbell County, Montgomery County, Paris, Scott and Augusta rounding out the top eight.

It will be interesting to see how Royals coach Brian Kirk utilizes the talents of the outstanding guard tandem.

Blake Reed is a prolific scorer and he’s well on his way to becoming one of the top three scorers in Kentucky history, with more than 4,000 points as he begins his senior campaign. Junior Cayden Reed does an excellent job of running the point and rebounds extremely well (7.2 per game) out of the guard position.

With the loss of four starters – Terrell Henry, Riley Mastin, Khristian Walton and Philip Bierley — Kirk could be looking at a four-guard lineup, with returning starter Braylon Hamilton and Carter McClanahan joining the Reeds in the backcourt. Mason County will not be a tall team by any means, and they’re counting on sophomore Jake Feldhaus for an inside presence. Depth will likely come from Cole Horch, Connor Butler, Teegin Routt and Landon Scilley and Garryon McClain.

The Royals may implement a more pressing, up-tempo style this season, with an emphasis on getting easy baskets in transition. You will also likely see Mason County bombing away from beyond the 3-point arc this season.

Blake Reed drained 109 3-pointers while shooting 40.2 percent from deep and averaging 28.6 points per game last season. One of his best games was against the Royals, when he went off for 47 points, including six 3-pointers, in Bracken County’s 65-63 loss to Mason County at Lexington Catholic. Overall, Blake shot 50.2

percent from the field and 77.4 percent from the free throw line.

Look for improved outside shooting numbers from his younger brother, Cayden, who is more of a distributor and penetrating point guard. He connected on 20 threes last year while scoring 16.6 points per game and shooting 51.2 percent from the floor and 73.6 percent from the stripe.

Hamilton is a definite threat from 3-point range after sinking 77 threes and hitting 45.8 percent of his attempts, and McClanahan added 40 threes while connecting on nearly 33 percent from long range.

The Royals’ season tips off on Nov. 28 at Rowan County.

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“Out of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.” — Mark Twain

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“He who controlleth the backboard, controlleth the game.” – Adolph Rupp

One more from the late Kentucky coach, who was misunderstood by many:

“I know I have plenty of enemies, but I’d rather be the most-hated winning coach in the country then the most popular losing one.”