Bracketology: Kentucky basketball No. 5 in the South
By Drew Koch
ESPN’s Bracketology has the Kentucky basketball team slotted as a 5 seed in the South region.
The Kentucky basketball team is the No. 5 seed in the South region according to ESPN’s Bracketology. The current speculation has the Wildcats matched up against the play-in winner between 12 seeds NC State and Boise State.
The Cats are currently No. 21 in the latest AP Poll after rallying from 17 points to defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers on the road. After one week outside the Top 25, the first time since 2014, the Wildcats vaulted back into the rankings.
Kentucky joins Auburn, Tennessee and Florida as the fourth member from the SEC to be in the latest poll. With upcoming games against all three of those teams, the Kentucky basketball team has an opportunity to elevate itself well above the 5 seed line. The games against the Tigers and the Gators are both on the road and should carry more weight for the committee should the Wildcats get the win.
As it stands, the win last week at West Virginia is easily the Wildcats best victory of the season. Big Blue Nation doesn’t like to think about that “other team in the state of Kentucky”, but the dominant win over Louisville looks better and better as the Cardinals have been on a roll of late. Oddly enough, ESPN projects both the Mountaineers (No. 4) and the Cardinals (No. 6) to join the Wildcats in the South region.
The Kentucky basketball team has the entire month of February to boost their resume heading into the SEC Tournament. Of course, a good run in St. Louis could also bump the Cats up another seed line as well.
John Calipari has taken less successful teams deep into March and BBN is hoping for another run with this year’s Kentucky basketball team. A 5 seed is acceptable for now, but the Cats will have plenty of opportunities to improve.