Alex Poythress (USATSI)
Sophomore Alex Poythress will try to lead Kentucky back to the NCAA tournament. (USATSI)

The Kentucky Wildcats are the No. 1 team in the CBSSports.com Top 25 (And One) college basketball preseason rankings released Monday.

After missing the NCAA tournament last season, the Wildcats are picked by our panel of experts as the top team in the nation before the 2013-14 season begins on Nov. 8.

Kentucky sophomores Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress will be joined by newcomers Julius Randle and twin brothers Aaron and Andrew Harrison as the Wildcats begin the chase for their ninth NCAA championship.

Louisville, the Wildcats' bitter in-state rival, is the No. 2 team in the CBSSports.com Top 25 (And One) college basketball preseason rankings.

Led by guard Russ Smith, who is returning for his senior season, the Cardinals are the defending national champions.

Kentucky and Louisville will face each other on Dec. 28 on CBS.

Michigan State, Kansas and Duke round out the top five of the CBSSports.com Top 25 (And One) rankings, which are compiled weekly during the season by CBSSports.com college basketball insider Gary Parrish.

Here is the Top 25 (And One) selections from our panel of experts.

CBSSports.com Staff Top 25 (And One) selections
Rank

Gary Parrish

Jeff Borzello

Matt Norlander

Doug Gottlieb

Jerry
Palm

Jon Rothstein
1.
UK

UK

UK

MICHST

UK

UK
2.
LVILLE

LVILLE

LVILLE

LVILLE

MICHST

LVILLE
3.
MICHST

MICHST

MICHST

DUKE

KANSAS

DUKE
4.
KANSAS

DUKE

DUKE

ARIZ

DUKE

MICHST
5.
DUKE

FLA

ARIZ

UNC

LVILLE

KANSAS
6.
ARIZ

KANSAS

KANSAS

OKLAST

ARIZ

ARIZ
7.
FLA

CUSE

OHIOST

UK

OKLAST

OKLAST
8.
OKLAST

OHIOST

MICH

OREG

OHIOST

FLA
9.
OHIOST

MICH

FLA

KANSAS

MICH

UNC
10.
MICH

OKLAST

ND

CAL

CUSE

OHIOST
11.
UNC

ARIZ

MEMP

CUSE

UNC

MICH
12.
CUSE

MEMP

OKLAST

GONZAG

FLA

CUSE
13.
VCU

ND

CUSE

NMEX

MEMP

TENN
14.
WISC

OREG

TENN

OHIOST

UCONN

UCONN
15.
MEMP

VCU

UNC

UCLA

VCU

MEMP
16.
OREG

UNC

GONZAG

WISC

GONZAG

COLO
17.
ND

WISC

MARQET

UCONN

TENN

GTOWN
18.
UVA

MARQET

BAYLOR

BAYLOR

WICHST

BAYLOR
19.
UCLA

UCLA

UCLA

ND

UVA

VCU
20.
UCONN

BOISE

VCU

IND

MARQET

ND
21.
GONZAG

NMEX

CREIGH

TENN

WISC

MARQET
22.
TENN

UCONN

GTOWN

MICH

IOWA

CAL
23.
MARQET

UVA

WISC

IOWA

NMEX

NMEX
24.
WICHST

COLO

OREG

UNLV

IND

IOWA
25.
COLO

HARV

CINCY

COLO

COLO

HARV
AND ONE
CREIGH

GONZAG

UVA

SDSU

OREG

WISC