Mark Pope's second team at Kentucky essentially defined the term "mixed bag." After an all-time exciting offseason was cut down due to early injuries, what resulted was a what-if bunch of Cats that, ultimately, fell short in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
And not only did Kentucky fall short, but they were blown out. The two-seeded Iowa State Cyclones battered the Wildcats 82-63 in what could be argued as Coach Pope's worst loss yet. Now, headed into year three - and facing down a 76-team March Madness for the first time ever, Andy Katz doesn't expect improvement from Kentucky.
In fact, he expects the blue and white to tumble further downhill. Shield your eyes, BBN.
A Projected Spiral
Per NCAA March Madness, Katz has Kentucky lined up as an 11-seed. In this hypothetical reality, Kentucky would have to play a prior game to even get into the field against the Maryland Terrapins. The winner of that matchup would then take on the No. 6 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first round.
"Disaster" would be an understatement. I personally have more confidence in this Kentucky team than Katz, but it's impossible to deny that the national media currently see little to write home about on the roster as it stands.
🚨 FIRST 76-TEAM BRACKET PREDICTION 🚨@TheAndyKatz makes his first bracket prediction for the 2027 tournament, complete with matchup projections for the new Opening Round 🔮 pic.twitter.com/hNeK8q7QDe
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) May 8, 2026
The last time Kentucky was an 11-seed in the postseason was in 2008. That was Billy Gillispie’s inaugural year; if you weren't already put off by Katz' projection, you should be now.
Although, in all fairness, that ignores the two times John Calipari missed the NCAA Tournament during his tenure in Lexington, not counting the COVID-19 year. Coaches fall short, sure, but Calipari won a title before he ever missed NCAAT play.
Chasing No. 9
Coach Pope needs to overachieve this season to get him closer to the latter, rather than the former. It's a pivotal year for the current regime at Rupp Arena.
On top of that, with NIL funds waiting to be used and a handful of roster spots remaining open, Kentucky likely hasn't finalized the team we're looking at right now. Any extra addition, especially an expensive one, should allow the Cats to vault a few of those bubble-like teams on Katz' list.
How Kentucky will perform in the 2026-27 season is up in the air until those guys actually take the floor. Let's just hope that the Wildcats won't have to count on the expanded tournament to qualify at all.
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