As it is with any tournament, it is all about matchups. For the Kentucky Wildcats, they are going to have to make the best of it as a No. 7 seed this year. Kentucky will be taking on the No. 10-seeded Santa Clara Broncos in their first-round game on Friday, March 20. Even though the Broncos did not win their league either, they are still an incredibly challenging first-round opponent for the Wildcats.
However, the buck may stop for UK this year in the second round, as they could potentially face a brutal opponent in the Round of 32. Assuming chalk prevails, Kentucky would then have to take on No. 2-seeded Iowa State on Sunday, March 22 with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Although Pope was able to guide his alma mater to the Sweet 16 in year one last year, that might not be in the cards...
TJ Otzelberger's Cyclones nearly won the Big 12 Tournament. They entered as a No. 5 seed, crushing Arizona State and pummeling Texas Tech before falling to Arizona by two points in the final. As far as No. 2 seeds are concerned, Iowa State may have as good of a chance as anyone of them on getting to the Final Four. This may be the Michigan bracket, but the Wolverines did not win their league either.
If Kentucky got to the Sweet 16 again, the Wildcats would likely face either Virginia or ... Tennessee...
Mark Pope will have to coach his tail off to get Kentucky to the Sweet 16
While last year's Kentucky team ended on a high note in the Sweet 16, this year's team has not always lived up to lofty expectations. The SEC ended up getting 10 teams into the tournament, but only defending national champion Florida ended up securing a No. 1 seed. Texas is one of the teams competing in the First Four, so Kentucky is in the middle-of-the-pack among SEC tournament teams.
Right now, Pope has to understand that his alma mater has to do more than simply show up to win any game in this year's rendition of March Madness. Kentucky has a rich and illustrious history, but this is not one of the better teams UK has ever had. The good news is Pope seems to be well aware of this. The bad news is he may not be able to do anything about it. Again, Santa Clara is a bad matchup.
Overall, we should expect Kentucky to play competitively vs. Santa Clara in its No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup, and hope for the very best. In the event Kentucky advances to the Round of 32, a major celebration should be had if UK gets back to the Sweet 16. Iowa State is so menacing as a No. 2 seed. The Cyclones will not be pushed by Tennessee State in their first round game. Kentucky probably will.
For now, let's set reasonable expectations for this year's Kentucky team and hope that it all works out.