Kentucky Women’s Basketball Ranks 14th in Preseason AP Top 25, Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kenny Brooks’ University of Kentucky women’s basketball team is ranked 14th in the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 and the Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, it was announced by both organizations Tuesday.
The Wildcats have been ranked every week – and in both polls – under head coach Brooks since he arrived in Spring 2024, while the Cats’ No. 14 position is their lowest preseason ranking in either poll in the Brooks era.
UK has earned a preseason ranking from either the AP or the coaches 13 times in the past 17 seasons, only missing out on early nods in the falls of 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023.
The Wildcats opened up as the 24th team in the Preseason AP Top 25 and 20th in the preseason coaches poll last season, which wound up being their lowest ranking – in either poll – of the entire season. In fact, Kentucky was ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in the coaches poll after knocking off two top-five teams in a 10-day span (No. 5 LSU, No. 5 Oklahoma) in 2025-26.
Brooks has brought together one of the most high-profile rosters in the country to back up that 14th position, which features National Player of the Year contender Clara Strack, the second-best, 3-point shooter in the Southeastern Conference from a season ago Asia Boone, the 10th pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft Ajša Sivka, the sixth-ranked transfer class in the nation and the sixth-ranked freshmen class in the nation.
The four transfers include Me’Arah O’Neal, who put together 13.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game last season at Florida, and Diana Collins, who contributed 8.4 ppg and 2.4 apg to help Alabama to the NCAA Tournament Second Round in 2025-26. It also features Ayanna Patterson, a forward out of UConn who battled injury there but was a highly touted recruit and McDonald’s All-American, and Jemma Amoore, a guard from IU-Indianapolis.
The freshmen include 14th-ranked Maddyn Greenway, who was named the 2026 MaxPreps Female National Athlete of the Year, 20th-ranked Savvy Swords, who just last week checked-in at ninth in ESPN’s Next 100, and 21st-ranked Emily McDonald, who won the co-ed, three-point competition at the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game.
The upcoming season is less than two weeks away, with Kentucky set to square off with Morehead State on Monday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET in Historic Memorial Coliseum. Big Blue Nation can now buy single-game tickets to all 17 home games, while fans also can view the promotional schedule for the highly anticipated home campaign .
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
