Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Kentucky

Joe Lunardi claims SEC Championship berth is Kentucky's only path to No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•about 11 hours
Kentucky coach Mark Pope - Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Kentucky coach Mark Pope - Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Kentucky basketball team is looking to close a surprisingly strong season under first year coach Mark Pope. Injuries have mounted, but the Wildcats have done their best to maintain.

And with the NCAA Tournament looming, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi was asked if Kentucky could earn a No. 2 seed. It might just take a super deep run in the SEC Tournament.

“I don’t see them as a two without probably playing on Sunday,” Lunardi said on a conference call on Wednesday. “And that’s realistically as far ahead as we can project the committee reacting, right? When that tips off at 1:30 on Sunday, Kentucky’s seed is done.

“With so many SEC teams involved, there could be either/or scenarios. But I build them every year and they almost always seem to be ignored in my kind of after-the-fact debrief, if you will. Now admittedly that after-the-fact debrief generally involves red wine and Charlie (Creme), so my judgment could be a little bit off there.”

The point being it’s an extreme uphill climb for Kentucky to get to the two-seed line. It might be impossible.

If there is a path, Lunardi outlined it. The Wildcats have to beat out a Big 12 team.

“The twos are currently two SEC teams, two others, Tennessee and Alabama. They’re not catching them,” Lunardi said. “Michigan State. They’re not catching them. And Texas Tech, who they could catch. And then they’re also very closely aligned with A&M from their own SEC, Wisconsin, Purdue.”

So securing a two-seed? Unlikely for Kentucky.

In fact, Lunardi suggested that simply defending the three-seed line at this point might be the best the Wildcats can hope for. And that’ll take some work too.

“I think a two is really unlikely,” Lunardi said. “They’re more likely to move down than up. But holding a three is significant, right, because if you play it out in the regionals you’d much rather be in a two/three game than to be playing a one. And I think they will hold onto that.

“Now they didn’t get the double bye. They have to play an extra day, if I’m not mistaken. But maybe that gets them a win over a team they’re seeded better than and it keeps them, it guarantees their three. The extra game might take away their chance to go deep enough to get a two, but if I could guarantee a three at this point I would take it.”