The Big Dance is officially here, and the Kentucky Wildcats are heading to Milwaukee as the 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Their first-round opponent? The 14 seed Troy Trojans, a feisty squad coming in with a 23-10 record. The game is set for Friday, with a potential second-round matchup waiting on Sunday if the Wildcats can take care of business.
But if you're a member of Big Blue Nation, you've got some understandable jitters. After all, the Cats were a 3 seed last year, too, when they were stunned by 14 seed Oakland in what turned out to be John Calipari’s final game as Kentucky’s head coach. It was a gut-wrenching ending to an era, with BBN left speechless and frustrated as another promising season ended in disaster. Here's what BBN is saying:
I’ll take it https://t.co/twknReUAlm
— Kentucky Gameday (@TheKYGameday) March 16, 2025
As far as Tournament sites, Milwaukee and Indianapolis are the best Kentucky could have asked for.
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) March 16, 2025
I expect to see a lot of blue.
IF Kentucky makes it into the Round of 32, that is going to be a tough matchup for them with either Illinois, Texas, or Xavier. #BBN
— Chris Beasmore (@CBeasmoreSports) March 16, 2025
Didn’t want Illinois at all
— NolimitCole (@nolimitcole_14) March 16, 2025
Troy Trojans scouting report
— BBN Memes (@BBN_Memes) March 16, 2025
• Top 25 in Defensive Rating and PA/G
• Sun Belt Player of the Year in Tayton Conerway
• 350th in 3PT percentage (which means they won’t miss against us)
• 11th in offensive rebounding
.@KentuckyMBB is 15-2 all-time (.882) against Sun Belt teams (conference the team was in as of the time the game was played), including 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament:
— Corey Price (@coreyp08) March 16, 2025
- March 15th, 1981: 2 seed Kentucky lost to 7 seed UAB 69-62 in the Round Of 32
- March 16th, 1986: 1 seed…
Eh, not the worst draw, but not the best either. Would have rather had Michigan State or StJohns as the 2. If we did somehow make the elite 8, Houston will absoutly destroy us. Lol.
— Brandon Vise (@True_2_thebigbl) March 16, 2025
First round games that were the toughest for me to pick:
— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) March 16, 2025
-Michigan vs UC San Diego
-Illinois vs Texas/Xavier
-Kentucky vs Troy
-Memphis vs Colorado State
-Maryland vs Grand Canyon
-Missouri vs Drake
Now, it’s Mark Pope’s turn to rewrite the script. The first-year head coach has guided Kentucky to a 22-11 record, and while the season had its bumps, the Wildcats have shown flashes of brilliance under Pope’s leadership. Still, there’s a lingering sense of unfinished business after last year’s disappointment. And Pope himself has something to prove after his BYU squad was upset by Duquesne in the first round last season.
The Wildcats will be heavy favorites against Troy, opening as double-digit favorites. But if last year’s disaster taught them anything, it’s that seeds don’t guarantee success.
Troy isn’t about to roll over, either. The Trojans come in hot, having battled their way to a 23-10 record in the Sun Belt. While they lack the name-brand star power Kentucky boasts, their togetherness and grit have carried them this far.
The Wildcats will be leaning on a healthy Lamont Butler and Amari Williams to set the tone early. But more than that, they’ll be looking to shake off the ghosts of last season and give Mark Pope his first NCAA Tournament win as Kentucky’s head coach, and as a head coach in general.
BBN will show up in Milwaukee, loud and proud, ready to push their Cats through what they hope will be the start of a deep tournament run. But first, they’ll have to exorcise some demons.
Friday can’t come soon enough.