ESPN’s Joe Lunardi places Kentucky in ‘First Four Out’ of latest Bracketology update

Following an upset loss at home against South Carolina, Kentucky finds itself in a difficult spot moving forward. At 10-6 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, the Wildcats now fall on the outside looking in for an NCAA Tournament berth, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

In his Wednesday morning updated look at the top seeded teams and those on the bubble, Lunardi moved Kentucky down into the First Four Out category alongside Nevada, Virginia Tech and UCF.

The season has gotten off to a rocky start for John Calipari and his team, dropping conference games against Alabama, Missouri and South Carolina in the past few weeks after letting non-conference opportunities against Gonzaga, Michigan State and UCLA slip away.

For now, the Wildcats best win comes against a Michigan team which barely cracks the NCAA Tournament picture as one of Lunardi’s ‘next’ teams beyond the Next Four Out.

As a result of the most recent loss, Kentucky plummeted in the analytical rankings as well. After entering the day ranked No. 46 in the NET Rankings – the NCAA’s official algorithm which is used when seeding teams for the tournament – the Wildcats fell to No. 62. That puts them below Rick Pitino’s Iona and one spot above Southern Miss.

More on Kentucky’s spot in Bracketology

As Joe Lunardi shows, and the NET Rankings support, Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament resume is on shaky ground midway through January, and the schedule does not get any easier. A road trip to face Tennessee – listed as a 2-seed in ESPN’s Bracketology – awaits this weekend before home games against Georgia and Texas A&M.

While the remainder of the SEC schedule still features Arkansas, Auburn and another matchup with Tennessee – along with an SEC/Big 12 matchup against Kansas – it does also offer plenty more resume building opportunities which could become necessary for the Wildcats heading into March.