Can you believe the season is now past the halfway mark? Well, I sure can. This season felt extremely long in Nov/Dec, but things have begun to look better as SEC play heats up. After an anxiety-producing, nail-biting win against Texas, Kentucky sits at 4-2 in the SEC, tied for second with Georgia and Arkansas. A huge win in a spot Kentucky really couldn't afford to lose.
Down the stretch, the game felt like a repeat of the Mizzou loss a few weeks back. Kentucky was able to learn from previous mistakes and hold on for a home win that really bodes well considering the upcoming slate.
Where does Kentucky sit in the latest rankings and measurements?
AP POLL
Coming into tonight's game, Kentucky sat just outside the AP top 25 at #29. With two games at home this week, against teams they should beat, the Cats have a shot to enter the top 25 when next week's rankings are released. They then hit the road to take on Vanderbilt and then Arkansas.
NET RANKING
The NET rankings are the primary source for seeding information for the NCAA Tournament; like it or not, they matter. This system replaced the old RPI system no one really understood but used anyway. They are updated daily, and as of this writing, the win against Texas has not been included yet. Kentucky is #29, sitting in the 7-9 seed range. Kentucky is 3-5 in Quad 1 games, and 2-1 in Quad 2 games (Texas is a Quad 2 win; they are number 41, a Quad 1 home win means you beat someone in the top 30). Don't expect this win to move the needle much, so Kentucky should stay in this range with the updated rankings.
KenPom
Everybody loves KenPom. But do you know what it is? It is an accurate prediction model created by a former meteorologist, Ken Pomeroy. KenPom has been a go-to for the stats gurus of NCAA basketball. It includes detailed breakdowns of offense, defense, pace, and luck, yes, luck. Kentucky is #25 in the country there. They have the 33rd-ranked offense and 39th-ranked defense. A perfect representation of the roller coaster season so far. Almost good enough, but not quite. Probably better than what most thought after seeing the first few weeks of the season.
A pivotal game awaits this Saturday against Ole Miss, #84 in NET (Quad 3). That is another game Kentucky can not lose, or it looks really bad on the resume. Things really pick up again with 2 quad 1 road games against Vandy and Arkansas next week that seem what could be a turning point, one way or the other. Kentucky has a chance to go from a less-than-ideal resume to a really solid one if it can be a villain on the road next week.
If so, their win total will catch up with their analytical ranking.