Joe Lunardi explains NCAA Tournament seeding implications ahead of Kentucky-Tennessee

Lexington will host the SEC’s game of the weekend, with Kentucky welcoming Tennessee to town. Two of the best teams in the country this season, a lot more than just bragging rights will be on the line Saturday evening. Both have major NCAA Tournament aspirations but are still jockeying to put themselves in a good position come March.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi explained what’s at stake for each Kentucky and Tennessee from a seeding perspective, beginning with the Vols. Getting a win in front of Big Blue Nation would be huge in Lunardi’s eyes, potentially elevating Rick Barnes‘ team to a one-seed. Entering the contest, Tennessee is the top two seed in the bracket.

Some help would likely be needed to get there though, with Tennessee fans wanting to tune into the Duke–North Carolina rivalry game just ahead of their own.

“A Tennessee win — particularly it being of the road variety and being the highest level road kind of road win you can get — combined with a North Carolina loss to Duke if that were to happen at the Dean Dome, I think we could actually wake up tomorrow with the Vols on the top line,” Lunardi said during Saturday’s Missouri–Vanderbilt broadcast. “We don’t know that, obviously. They may only get to the fifth spot with a win. But to me, they’re very, very much alive for a one-seed at the end of the day.”

Tennessee has never been a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament, with the peak coming under Barnes back in 2019 as a two-seed. A surge of offense from Dalton Knecht is what has taken the Vols to the next level, putting them up there with any team in college basketball.

A long path is still ahead to earn the right to be at the top of a bracket. Beating Kentucky would strengthen the resume in a big way.

Kentucky fighting to move up seed list

When Lunardi released his seed list on Saturday morning, Kentucky sat No. 18 overall and if the NCAA Tournament was today, they would be a No. 5. Not exactly when John Calipari likely wants to be, especially as the program competes for another SEC regular season championship.

In order to move up, these are the kind of wins UK needs to have. Playing quality opponents in front of the home crowd should produce good results, even if Tennessee is highly thought of.

“They have an opportunity to try and get back on those top four lines,” Lunardi said. “I think it’s reasonable between now and six weeks from now on Selection Sunday that UK will find itself in that preferred seeding area for an easier path to a Sweet 16 and second weekend.”