CBS Sports Experts Agree: Kentucky is a Final Four Team

Kentucky plays Georgia tomorrow at Rupp Arena. It should be an exciting evening of basketball action. We can focus on the specifics of that matchup later. Before diving in, can we stop for a moment and dream big for a moment? Thank you.

Only a little more than eight weeks away from Selection Sunday, the college basketball world is preparing fans for what lies ahead. Staring into a crystal ball, the experts see a world where Kentucky is one of the last remaining teams alive, competing for a championship at the Final Four in Phoenix.

CBS Sports asked all of their in-studio talent to share their current Final Four selections. Four out of six analysts predicted Kentucky to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.

“How can you not go with John Calipari and Big Blue? He’s got those young Cats flying,” said Chris Walker.

Former Miami Redhawk Wally Szczerbiak believes this Kentucky team is one of the best in the country. UConn is the only team playing better than Kentucky right now, according to Jon Rothstein.

“Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard really remind me of the dynamic that UCLA in 13-14 with Bryce Alford and Zach Lavine off the bench,” said Rothstein.

“John Calipari’s got the most talented roster in the country,” said Gary Parrish. “That is often true, but this team has looked the part early in the season. I think the Wildcats get back to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.”

You rollin' with @GaryParrishCBS’s Final Four? 🤨 pic.twitter.com/xaZ6ytdemP

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 18, 2024

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Kentucky in the latest Bracketology

Rothstein begrudgingly picked his Final Four teams. The eccentric insider does not believe you can predict an outcome without the bracket. The good news is this sport works overtime creating hypothetical brackets.

Joe Lunardi shared a new Bracketology update Friday morning. The ESPN prognosticator is picking Kentucky to win the SEC Tournament and enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. I hate to break it to Joe, but if UK wins the SEC Tournament this team ain’t going to be a No. 3 seed. In this hypothetical scenario, the Cats get a terrible draw, starting in Pittsburgh with matchups against North Carolina and UConn looming in Boston.

Elsewhere in the world of brackets, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm currently projects Kentucky as a No. 4 seed. Like Lunardi, On3’s James Fletcher has the Cats slotted in as a No. 3 seed. In the Bracket Matrix, an average of every bracket on the internet, Kentucky is the final No. 3 seed.

Selection Sunday is March 17, 2024. We’ll get a preview of where things stand during the Early Bracket Reveal. The top 16 teams in college basketball will be unveiled with a month to play on Feb. 17 on CBS at 13:30 pm EST.

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