Kentucky Wildcat News: Where UK sits in ESPN’s College Basketball Tiers

October 27, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Good morning BBN!

The Kentucky Wildcats are a week away from the start of the regular season and welcoming Manhattan to Rupp Arena. They’re 2-0 so far through their exhibitions after knocking off No. 19 Texas Tech this past Friday, and with one more on deck against UCF this Wednesday, the Cats will look to make some more noise before the season officially starts.

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This offseason was a roller coaster in terms of expectations, but heading into the season, the Cats are firmly in the top 25 and are in a prove-it spot in the sport this year. That is also where they landed in a recent tiers ranking done by Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf of ESPN.

The Cats came ranked in Tier III: Second Weekend Threats. They are also named alongside Alabama, Houston, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, USC, Missouri, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Kansas.

Here is what they had to say about the Cats:

“In Lexington, Kentucky signed Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, one of the best shooters in NCAA history (49% from 3 last season). In a make-or-break season for Mark Pope, Malachi Moreno needs to have a breakout campaign, which could also seal his NBA dreams. But can he take that next step?”

A second weekend team seems to be where a lot of people expect the Cats to land this coming year, but hopefully, they can make a deeper run than that. If so, the BBN will be ecstatic and finally get back to an Elite Eight for the first time in quite some time.

Tweet of the Day

Love ya 'til my lungs give out, Wildcats! 💙

🎶 @TTChilders #KentuckyFootball #SEC #AllYourn #SECFootball

[Video Description: A wide-angle, vertical shot captures a packed football stadium at night under a dark sky with a visible moon. The stands glow with blue stadium… pic.twitter.com/8DMlDd61vv
— University of Kentucky (@universityofky) October 26, 2026