Jay Wright believes 'Cats will make it to 2nd weekend: 'Kentucky is really interesting to me.'

After earning a 3-seed and a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against 14-seed Oakland, Kentucky now knows its path to the program’s first Final Four since 2015. But first, the Wildcats need to make it out of the opening weekend for the first time since 2019.

Jay Wright, who won a pair of national championships as the head coach at Villanova and is now an analyst for CBS, is confident that will happen.

“I’ll tell you one thing, Kentucky is really interesting to me,” Wright said on CBS’ Selection Sunday broadcast shortly after the bracket was announced. “John Calipari is one of the coaches that has always been known as a defensive coach and it’s kinda changed and gone offense. There’s a couple teams in the tournament like that — Alabama. How far can it take (Kentucky)? I think it can take them to at least Sweet 16 against Marquette then see what they’ve got defensively at that point.”

"I'll tell you one thing — Kentucky is really interesting to me." – Jay Wright

Breaking down the SOUTH REGION #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/xhTsfK965J

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 17, 2024

Coming into Sunday, Kentucky appeared to be trending toward a 4-seed in the field of 68 but ultimately landed a 3-seed in the South Region with a favorable path to make it out of Pittsburgh. Tipoff against Oakland (126th in the NET) is set for Thursday, March 21 at a time to be determined.

Holding onto that 3-seed keeps Kentucky from having to potentially play 1-seed Houston in the Sweet 16. Instead, if the Wildcats were to make it that far, a possible Sweet 16 showdown against Marquette in Dallas, which has been without All-American point guard Tyler Kolek since Feb. 28, would be in play. Kolek has been sidelined with an injury but is expected to return in time for the Big Dance.

“The big question on this side of the bracket is the health of Tyler Kolek,” CBS analyst Seth Davis said. “But either way, the way that Kentucky plays and gets up and down the floor, I know Florida’s got an injury issue too, but Kolek to me is a big-time X-factor in this tournament and certainly in this side of the bracket.”

The path is there. It’s time to make a run.

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