Kentucky will start the 2011-12 season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25.
North Carolina was ranked the preseason No. 1, followed by UK, Ohio State, Connecticut and Syracuse. UK did not receive any of the 65 first-place votes, which were split between North Carolina (62), Ohio State (one) and UConn (two).
The No. 2 ranking is the highest for the Kentucky program since the 1995-96 team was tabbed No. 1 entering the season. It marks the second time in the John Calipari ere that UK ranks in the top 10 of the AP preseason poll.
Kentucky has been ranked in the AP’s top five in the preseason 22 times and in the top three 14 times before.
Four Southeastern Conference teams are in the top 25 to begin the year, including three in the top eight.
UK is also No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
| AP Top 25 | |||
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | North Carolina (62) | 0-0 | 1,620 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 0-0 | 1,501 |
| 3 | Ohio State (1) | 0-0 | 1,482 |
| 4 | Connecticut (2) | 0-0 | 1,433 |
| 5 | Syracuse | 0-0 | 1,338 |
| 6 | Duke | 0-0 | 1,301 |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | 0-0 | 1,120 |
| 8 | Florida | 0-0 | 1,086 |
| 9 | Louisville | 0-0 | 1,055 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh | 0-0 | 1,027 |
| 11 | Memphis | 0-0 | 997 |
| 12 | Baylor | 0-0 | 892 |
| 13 | Kansas | 0-0 | 755 |
| 14 | Xavier | 0-0 | 747 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 720 |
| 16 | Arizona | 0-0 | 616 |
| 17 | UCLA | 0-0 | 404 |
| 18 | Michigan | 0-0 | 401 |
| 19 | Alabama | 0-0 | 395 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | 357 |
| 21 | Cincinnati | 0-0 | 353 |
| 22 | Marquette | 0-0 | 335 |
| 23 | Gonzaga | 0-0 | 283 |
| 24 | California | 0-0 | 230 |
| 25 | Missouri | 0-0 | 139 |
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