Despite last week's stumble against Florida, Kentucky basketball finds itself in a surprisingly favorable position for the NCAA Tournament.
As of February 18, the Wildcats' average seed across 124 different brackets stands at 6.57, showing an improvement even after a tough loss.
In the latest NET rankings, Kentucky holds the 30th spot, despite their recent home defeat to Georgia.
The Wildcats' road loss to Florida didn't do any favors in the SEC standings, pushing them further from the regular-season title and top seed in the league tournament. However, it seems to have had a positive twist when it comes to their NCAA Tournament outlook.
On February 10, Kentucky's average seed was 6.71 according to Bracket Matrix. Fast forward to February 18, and that number has improved to 6.57, with the Wildcats appearing in all 124 brackets compiled by the site.
Following the setback against Georgia, Kentucky's NET ranking remained steady at 30.
Bracketville's latest update on February 17 placed Kentucky and coach Mark Pope in the West Region as a 6-seed, predicting a journey to San Diego to face the winner of a First Four matchup between 11-seeds UCLA and Santa Clara. Meanwhile, Bracketologists.com, focusing solely on NET rankings, pegged Kentucky as a No. 8 seed, set to clash with ninth-seeded Wisconsin.
Here’s a snapshot of Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament résumé as of February 18:
- NET ranking: 30
- KenPom ranking: 31
- Quad 1 record: 5-7
- Quad 2 record: 3-2
- Quad 3 record: 2-0
- Quad 4 record: 7-0
On February 17, ESPN's bracket guru Joe Lunardi projected Kentucky as the 6-seed in the West Region, facing off against 11-seed Southern Cal in Oklahoma City.
CBS Sports, in its February 18 projections, placed Kentucky in the East Region as the No. 6 seed, with an intriguing matchup against undefeated 11-seed Miami from the Mid-American Conference.
Joe Rexrode of The Athletic had his say on February 17, slotting Kentucky in the South Region as a 7-seed, forecasting a classic showdown with 10th-seeded UCLA in Oklahoma City.
Andy Katz from NCAA.com also released his bracket on February 17, envisioning a first-round clash between Kentucky and UCLA, with the Wildcats as the 6-seed in the West Region.
Looking ahead, Kentucky's next opportunity for a Quad 1 victory comes as they travel to Auburn for an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff on Saturday. The road trip continues three days later with a Quad 2 matchup against South Carolina in Columbia.
Stay tuned as the Wildcats aim to solidify their tournament standing and make a strong push in the final stretch of the season.