Getting to write an article predicting what seed Kentucky will be in the NCAA Tournament is something that we here at Kentucky Wildcats On SI are not taking for granted, knowing that a little over a month ago, most thought the Wildcats would miss the big dance. After the loss to Missouri, things were looking gloomy for the Wildcats and their chances of making the NCAA Tournament, but Coach Mark Pope and his team have won eight of their last nine games to get themselves back in the March Madness talks.
Right now, Joe Lunardi has the Wildcats listed as the seven-seed in the Midwest bracket, where they would play ten-seeded UCLA to kick things off. Kentucky still has seven games left in SEC play, and it is looking like at least five of these games will be Quad 1 opportunities for the Wildcats.
The first of those Quad 1 opportunities comes on Saturday when the Wildcats take on the Florida Gators in the Swamp. This is one of two matchups Pope’s team still has with the Gators this season. The Wildcats also have road games against Auburn and Texas A&M, which are going to be Quad 1 games. The other Quad 1 games left on the schedule is when Vanderbilt comes to Lexington.
If the Georgia Bulldogs can sneak back into the top 30 of the NET Rankings, Kentucky’s matchup with them in Rupp Arena next week would be a Quad 1 game, but they currently sit at 35. The way it seems right now if the Wildcats go 6-1 over their next seven games, they will have a chance to be a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but with the fourth toughest remaining schedule in college hoops, this won’t be easy.
A record of 5-2 over the Wildcats next seven games does seem gettable, and it feels like this would have Pope’s team in the five-seed range. This would give Kentucky a 22-9 overall record and a 13-5 record in SEC play. This record would be a worst-case scenario six-seed for the Wildcats, but you would have to think that finishing the season 5-2, especially if you win a game or two in Nashville, this team is going to be at least a five-seed.
These are crazy conversations to be having after how it looked when the Wildcats were 0-2 in SEC play after losing to Missouri. Kentucky needs to finish the year strong, and they will put themselves in a position no one thought they would be in a few months ago. I am predicting Kentucky to be a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
