While Kentucky's men may be having a nightmare bracketology update, the women’s squad just got a pleasant surprise.
The latest update from ESPN’s Charlie Creme has the Cats sitting as a 5-seed, and while that means the Cats won't be hosting at HMC, they could be heading to a close destination, Morgantown, West Virginia. And a very familiar foe waiting for Kenny Brooks, James Madison.
The James Madison homecoming
One of the most explosive storylines in the latest bracket is Kentucky’s projected first-round opponent: James Madison. Before his legendary run at Virginia Tech and his arrival in Lexington, Kenny Brooks spent 14 years building the James Madison program into a mid-major powerhouse.
Seeing "Brooks vs. the Dukes" matchup in the first round is a screenwriter’s dream, and it’s exactly the kind of high-stakes drama that could ignite a deep run for the Cats.
Because while they may not be hosting here, the path got quite a bit easier.
Avoiding the UConn trap
In previous projections, Kentucky was staring down a bracket that featured the UConn Huskies, a matchup almost everyone in the country wants to avoid until the Final Four, if possible.
Now, the path looks significantly more manageable. In the Morgantown pod, the Cats would potentially share a bracket with 1-seed UCLA, but they also find themselves surrounded by teams they’ve already conquered. Both 2-seed LSU and 3-seed Louisville are in the mix, two teams Kentucky has already defeated on the road this season.
That is a much more manageable path to a really deep run for a team that, when healthy, is a play away from beating South Carolina.
Hosting would be fun, going further would be more fun
While seeing the tournament at HMC would have been the preference, a 5-seed in a regional that features familiar foes and a 5-hour drive for the fans is a win in my book.
The path through Morgantown isn’t "easy," but it’s a heck of a lot better than the 4-seed/UConn nightmare we were looking at last week. I'll take this path any day.
Now, like the men, Kenny Brooks and his squad must wait for the official word on Selection Sunday to see if the "JMU Reunion" becomes a reality.