Seth Greenberg explains why he buys Kentucky as a bubble team

Seth Greenberg is buying stock in the Kentucky basketball team as we inch closer to the NCAA Tournament. Luckily for him, it’s on sale!

If the season ended today, UK would be forced to play their way into the tournament in the First Four against North Carolina. Of all the teams in the bubble, Greenberg thinks Kentucky has the highest ceiling.

“They’ve got the returning player of the year. Jacob Toppin over the last nine games is averaging 14 points a game and I love the ball in Cason Wallace’s hands,” Greenberg said of Kentucky on ESPN College GameDay. “I think he’s a big, physical guard. Last five [games], averages 13 points and 5 assists. But with his leadership and toughness, I think [Kentucky] has improved defensively.”

Jay Bilas said Greenberg is only buying Kentucky because they shouldn’t be on the bubble. And he’s right. Kentucky was the No. 4 team in the preseason AP Poll.

Kentucky has three Quad 1 wins on the season so far — Wednesday’s win against Mississippi State, against Texas A&M and against Tennessee. The Wildcats will host the Volunteers Saturday afternoon, and a win would firmly secure UK’s place within the bubble and solidify Greenberg’s College GameDay comments.

Chris Livingston says Tennessee game helped Kentucky beat Mississippi State

Kentucky has had its back against the wall several times this season. While many don’t like being under that kind of pressure, though, freshman forward Chris Livingston said their experience with it actually helped them win this week at Mississippi State.

Livingston pointed out the similarities between the Wildcat’s play and mindset from this week in Starkville and January’s win in Knoxville over Tennessee. He said they entered both with an identical frame of mind and, in turn, left them both with comparable results.

“In the Tennessee game, we were kind of, like, in the same situation, the same mindset. It wasn’t a must-win but we went in with nothing to lose,” said Livingston. “It was a refuse to lose mindset, a refuse to lose attitude. That’s the energy we played with and it’s what we played with today.”

Kentucky went into Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14th after Alabama blew them out by 26 and South Carolina upset them in Rupp Arena. They also entered as a historic underdog too. In the end, though, they found a way to knock off the No. 5 Volunteers.