Kentucky basketball ranked 9th to start the year; Oweh named SEC Preseason POY

LEXINGTON, KY. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – The preseason Associated Press Top 25 was released on Monday Afternoon. The Wildcats are ranked ninth in the poll, and play three games against preseason top 10 teams, four if your count the Purdue exhibition. The Wildcats will also play 12 games on the season against the preseason Top 25.

Kentucky star Otega Oweh was awarded on Monday at the individual level. Oweh was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season. He also was named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team. Oweh returned to Kentucky for his senior season after a great first for the Wildcats last season. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game last season for the Wildcats after transferring in from Oklahoma.

Junior guard Jaland Lowe also took home some preseason hardware. Lowe was named to the Preseason All-SEC Third team in his first year in the conference. Lowe transferred to Kentucky from Pittsburgh over the offseason. In his sophomore season at Pittsburgh, Lowe averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of 37.6%.