BRACKETOLOGY: Kentucky is on the Fringe of the Field of 68

It was a weird week for the Kentucky basketball team. The Wildcats started the week with their worst loss of the season and ended it with their best win to date. The loss to South Carolina will remain a Quad 4 loss, and the win at Tennessee should still be a Quad 1 win on Selection Sunday. It’s created a mix reaction among those who project brackets for a living.

In the Bracket Matrix the Wildcats currently appear in 24 of the 68 brackets available, making them the fourth team out with an average seed of 10.38. Joe Lunardi is one of those that believes the Wildcats are just on the outside looking in. However, he has the Wildcats knocking on the door at No. 69 as the first team out.

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— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) January 16, 2023

Bart Torvik’s advanced stats are not quite as bullish on the Cats. His numbers currently have Kentucky behind seven others who are fighting for an at-large bid. KenPom projects the Wildcats to win seven of their next eight before finishing the regular season 19-12. That doesn’t feel good enough to earn an at-large bid. Kentucky needs to keep winning some games they aren’t expected to on paper.

One Prominent Bracket Still has Kentucky IN

While others aren’t ready to put Kentucky back into the field of 68 teams, Jerry Palm has the Wildcats back in the bracket. He wrote on CBS Sports: “Kentucky is back in the bracket following the Wildcats win at Tennessee on Saturday. That was their first Quad 1 win of the season and followed on the heels of a Quad 4 loss at home to South Carolina. Kentucky is far from safe though. The Wildcats are a No. 11 seed.”

Palm projects the Wildcats as an 11-seed against No. 6 Illinois in the East Regional that will be hosted in New York.