College hoops have changed immensely over the last decade. Unlike John Calipari’s extraordinarily stacked rosters, lots of young talent doesn’t always come out on top these days.

The Kentucky Wildcats showed that last season, being a first-round exit despite having two top-10 picks on their team. Kentucky is retooled behind former BYU head coach Mark Pope and has a slew of experienced players, including former BYU standout Jaxson Robinson.

For many early top-25 polls, those additions did little for Kentucky, but Dick Vitale, one of the most high-profile names in the sport, recently released his Sweet 16 teams, and the Cats were among them.

Pope’s squad came in at No. 15, and Vitale let everyone know of Kentucky’s recent struggles and what a Sweet 16 appearance would mean for the program.

“With no Sweet 16 appearances since 2019, the Wildcats are looking to make a huge jump with new coach Mark Pope. With nine transfers and three freshmen, the Wildcats need time to mesh and gain confidence but should be primed come March,” Vitale wrote.

Of note, Calipari’s new-look Arkansas Razorbacks came in at No. 13. Kansas was No. 1, while Alabama, Gonzaga, Duke, and Auburn were in the top 10.

As Vitale noted, there will more than likely be some growing pains for this Cats team. There are many defensive-minded players, so the late addition of Robinson was a huge get for the Cats. He will provide scoring, but it still may be an upward battle to generate buckets consistently.

The defense and length are certainly there. Their schedule will be among the toughest in the sport, so they’ll be battled-tested come March.

Regardless, the Cats, if anything, will be a wild card in the coming season, and given the personnel on their roster, they should be able to churn out a solid year under Pope.