Jay Williams: Kentucky should come out of South region

There are always big expectations for the Kentucky Wildcats in March. However, those expectations are likely a little higher this season because of how manageable the South region appears to be for the Wildcats.

While breaking down the 2024 NCAA Tournament, ESPN analyst Jay Williams noted this and explained why he thinks that Kentucky should be capable of coming out of the South.

“We talk about the team with the most upside,” Jay Williams said. “I think if you’re John Calipari, if you’re a Big Blue Nation fan, you’re looking at this bracket and you’re saying we should come out of this. I mean you can question a lot with their guard play, and Reed Sheppard, and the way they’re able to knock down shots. But I mean it’s a legitimate chance, they should come out of this region.”

Kentucky is currently a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament and is slated to play Oakland in its first game. Assuming the Wildcats win, they’ll either play NC State or Texas Tech in their next game.

It’s been an up-and-down season for head coach John Calipari and the Wildcats. Kentucky went 23-9 this season, including a 10-4 non-conference record. The Wildcats even seemed to be heating up later in the season, winning their last five regular season games in a row, before getting upset by Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.

Reed Sheppard, meanwhile, has become not just one of the best players in the SEC but the country and if Kentucky is going to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament, he needs to be a big part of this. While averaging 29 minutes per game this season, Sheppard is averaging 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. With that, even though he’s only a freshman, he’s being mocked as a potential high lottery pick.

The South region is highlighted by Houston, who is the one-seed, and Marquette, who earned the two-seed in that region.

Dick Vitale picks Kentucky to win 2024 NCAA Tournament

Legendary broadcaster Dick Vitale is also high on Kentucky going into the NCAA Tournament. He certainly has the Wildcats winning the South. However, he went beyond that, picking them to win the entire 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Vitale can be seen in a picture of himself with a whiteboard that broke down his pick.

Vitale picks the Cats to win it all pic.twitter.com/dfPv8fV82K

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 17, 2024

Dick Vitale has been limited in his ability to broadcast in recent years as he’s battled cancer. That includes cancer in his vocal cords.

Proving Vitale right starts on Thursday against Oakland in a game that will be played at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS.