Kentucky Women's Basketball Opens 2026-27 at No. 14 in the AP Top 25

Kentucky women's basketball starts the 2026-27 season at No. 14 in the preseason AP Top 25, released Tuesday. That's the best preseason spot of Kenny Brooks' three years in Lexington; the Wildcats opened at No. 22 in his first season and tied for No. 24 a year ago.

South Carolina sits at No. 1 with 23 of the 31 first-place votes, ahead of UConn and USC. Kentucky drew 325 points.

Our Take: The voters are finally buying what Brooks is building. Clara Strack, a preseason first-team All-SEC pick, gives the Cats a centerpiece, and the league picked UK fifth. The schedule will test the ranking fast, with eight preseason Top 25 teams on it, five of them in the top 10, including a Jan. 31 trip to South Carolina.

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Sources: ESPN AP Top 25 women's rankings, On3 / KSR (Zack Geoghegan), KSR on X, UK Athletics: 2025 preseason No. 24