Despite NCAA cuteness, Kentucky Wildcats can advance from Region of Doom

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Mitch Barnhart was equally displeased and he was asked about the seeding, as well as to whether the SEC Tournament final may be moved to accommodate the seeding committee.

"“I would have been curious as to how they could have justified if we won the game on a last-second shot, having the SEC tournament champion be an eight-seed. It’s very surprising, to be real honest with you. I thought when the committee and those folks ask you to play strength of schedule and those kind of things, that’s what I think we do. We play a difficult strength of schedule. We’ve beat some teams that clearly are seeded ahead of us. Sometimes that happens. I get that. But I’m really, really proud of our kids and the way they responded in the tournament and the way we’re playing, and I hope we play with a little chip on our shoulder and go prove some people wrong.” On if he’ll lobby to have the SEC title game moved earlier in the day: “I think it’s a lot of TV-driven stuff right now. If they’re going to make their decisions ahead of time and then Sunday doesn’t count, then that’s—there’s no real reason to move it. But if it does matter and it does have an effect on seedings and bracketing, then we need to think about that. Clearly, television is setting the agenda of when they play that game. We’ve been playing at noon an awful long time. The 3:15 start’s clearly later than what we’ve been playing. I thought our kids fought and gave great effort today. It’s a really, really good tournament for our kids … (Strange sound effect plays extremely loudly over sound system) Voices from above echo everything that I’m saying. Clearly, clearly everybody’s in agreement with what I’m saying, so thank you very much.” On he detects an anti-Kentucky bias, that the committee found the most physical team and put it against Kentucky: “I’m not in the room, I can’t determine what’s going on in anybody’s thoughts, and that’s for the committee to answer to that, not me. I do believe that we’ve got a very difficult path and obviously some really difficult games ahead of us, and if we find our way through it will have been well-learned.”"

Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports

It is not unprecedented for an eight seed to make the Final Four. Ben Roberts tells us that five other teams have advanced to the Final Four and takes a look at how all the eight seeds have fared in recent years. And if Kentucky wins it all and brings home number nine, they won’t even be the first Wildcats to do it as an eight seed.

"In 1985, Rollie Massimino’s Villanova Wildcats entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed and went home to Philadelphia as the national champions. It was the first year of the 64-team tournament, and Villanova defeated Dayton, top-seeded Michigan, No. 5 seed Maryland and No. 2 seed North Carolina to make the Final Four in Rupp Arena. In Lexington, the Wildcats beat Memphis and then upset Patrick Ewing and Georgetown to become the first — and only — No. 8 seed to win it all."

Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Turns out that Kentucky was not the only puzzling seed decision yesterday.  SMU and Larry Brown were left out of the NCAA altogether.  Despite that, Larry still has some kind words about UK’s chances.

"Kentucky earned a No. 8 seed despite beating 14 top-100 teams, playing the nation’s eighth-toughest non-conference schedule and coming within a point of beating Florida, the NCAA tournament’s top overall seed, in Sunday’s SEC tournament championship. “Kentucky is still a threat to win the national championship,” SMU coach Larry Brown told USA TODAY Sports recently. “They have too much talent.”"