Where are Louisville, Kentucky basketball ranked in preseason polls?

Two college basketball preseason polls dropped Oct. 19. Where are Louisville and Kentucky?The Cardinals came in at 11th in both the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the preseason AP Top 25. The Wildcats ranked 23rd in both. Florida was the consensus No. 1 team, followed by Duke and Illinois. Arizona and UConn round out the top five. This is the first time UofL has started consecutive seasons ranked since 2016-17 (13th) and 2017-18 (16th). For UK, it ties the worst preseason ranking of coach Mark Pope's tenure. UofL began Year 2 under Pat Kelsey ranked 10th in the preseason Coaches Poll and 11th in the preseason AP Top 25. It climbed as high as sixth in Week 3 of the poll but finished at 23rd after going 24-11 and losing to Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Kelsey returns only one scholarship player from his 2025-26 roster, junior guard Adrian Wooley. His collection of newcomers, comprising eight veterans out of the NCAA transfer portal and three freshmen, ranks fifth on 247Sports' national leaderboard. Louisville's 2026-27 campaign unofficially tips off Oct. 21 with an exhibition against Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse. After an Oct. 28 dress rehearsal against Mercyhurst at the KFC Yum Center, the Cards will open the regular season with home matchups against Chattanooga (Nov. 2) and Morehead State (Nov. 7)."It's going to be exhilarating; it's going to be fun; it's going to be great; it's going to light this city on fire," Kelsey told reporters Oct. 8. "There's going to be some punches in the mouth, too." .oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Where are Louisville, Kentucky basketball ranked in preseason polls?