The Associated Press released its preseason college basketball poll on Friday and John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats checked in at No. 2, their highest ranking in the preseason since being ranked first in 1995-96. As in the coaches poll that was released last week, UK trails only North Carolina in voting, only increasing the anticipation for a Dec. 3 matchup between the two traditional powers. The of UK’s SEC counterparts were also ranked by the AP: Vanderbilt at No. 7, Florida at No. 8 and Alabama at No. 19.Below is the complete top 25:1. North Carolina2. Kentucky3. Ohio State4. Connecticut5. Syracuse6. Duke7. Vanderbilt8. Florida9. Louisville10. Pittsburgh11. Memphis12. Baylor13. Kansas14. Xavier15. Wisconsin16. Arizona17. UCLA18. Michigan19. Alabama20. Texas A&M21. Cincinnati22. Marquette23. Gonzaga24. California25. Missouri