Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN Bracketology update has Kentucky in a familiar-looking place: a five-seed. And if that projection holds, Mark Pope’s Wildcats could be headed for a path that gets very interesting very quickly.
Lunardi released his new 2027 NCAA Tournament field on Tuesday morning, and Kentucky has stayed put as a No. 5 seed since Pope added Milan Momcilovic to the roster in early June. In Lunardi’s bracket, the Wildcats would open in Sacramento against either Xavier, coached by Rick Pitino’s son Richard, or Oklahoma State in a 12-seed matchup.
That kind of game is always dangerous. A 5 vs. 12 setup has a way of producing chaos, and if Kentucky gets through it, the next round could bring a major draw: John Calipari and fourth-seeded Arkansas.
It’s the sort of matchup TV people would love, and Lunardi’s projection makes it a real possibility.
There’s also a broader reason this bracket is worth watching for Kentucky. Looking ahead to the Wildcats’ 2026-27 schedule, they’re lined up to face 18 teams Lunardi currently projects into the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
Eleven of those are from the SEC, with seven coming in non-conference play. That count doesn’t even include a preseason meeting with Texas Tech, which Lunardi has as a No. 5 seed.
As for the conference picture, Lunardi has 12 SEC teams in the tournament field, matching the Big Ten for the most of any league.
Here’s how Kentucky’s opponents stack up in Lunardi’s latest seed projections:
Florida (1)
Louisville (2)
Texas (2)
Kansas (3)
Virginia (3)
Alabama (4)
Arkansas (4)
Tennessee (4) twice
Vanderbilt (5) twice
Georgia (8)
Indiana (8)
North Carolina (8)
Auburn (9)
Missouri (9)
Oklahoma (10)
Texas A&M (10)
Wichita State (12)
James Madison (15)
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