Kentucky basketball has been on the rise all season, and they are now #4 in the AP Top 25 poll. There is anticipation on how this early season success will translate into conference play but also into March Madness. Joe Lundari, ESPN's bracket expert, has released his updated bracketology as of December 17th, and it's going to be a delight to Kentucky fans.
"It has three No. 1 seeds in this bracket, with Kentucky joining Auburn and Tennessee on the top line. Six of the first 12 teams on the seed list are from the SEC -- a bracketing nightmare for the selection committee but a dream come true for the conference commissioner."Joe Lundari/ESPN
Auburn gets the distinction of the overall number one seed, and the other three number one are Tennessee, Iowa State, and Kentucky. This is almost a clean sweep of the SEC and shows how impressive this conference is. They also have 13 total teams in this projection. That is all well and good, but the excitement from Big Blue Nation comes from seeing Kentucky has the number one seed in the west regional side of the bracket. Oh, but it gets better.
If this projection ends up being true, they would take on the winner of the eight and nine seeds, which are Maryland and Arkansas. Yes, John Calipari's Arkansas, which would be something only March Madness storylines could write. The number two seed in that region is none other than the Gonzaga Bulldogs, a team that Kentucky has already beaten.
The desire to be a number one seed is more potent than most Kentucky fans will want to admit, but it's been 10 years since the last time Kentucky was a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. They last did it in 2015. This is too long of a drought for Kentucky, and whether it gets broken this year or next, Mark Pope seems to be the coach who will bring them back to prominence and add a new banner to the top of Rupp Arena.