Joe Lunardi drops Kentucky again in 2nd update to 2024 Bracketology

Kentucky’s 2023-24 roster is still very much in flux, but Joe Lunardi continues to sour on the Wildcats’ potential.

On Tuesday morning, Lunardi updated his 2024 Bracketology for ESPN — the second update already this offseason — in which he once again dropped Kentucky in the seeding. After initially projecting the ‘Cats as a five-seed in the first Bracketology of the spring two weeks ago, Lunardi moved UK down one spot to a six-seed in last week’s update and then did the same again this week, sliding Kentucky to a seven-seed.

In this most recent Bracketology, Kentucky is matched up against 10-seeded Rutgers in the West (Los Angeles) Region. Elsewhere, Lunardi projects Eastern Kentucky to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament as a 14-seed.

Why does Kentucky continue to slip? It’s tough to know — Lunardi doesn’t provide a team-by-team explanation in his Bracketology updates. But that being said, Kentucky’s roster for next season is far from being set in stone, so there is a long way to go and he’ll likely feel differently about the ‘Cats once the team for next season is solidified.

Lunardi’s perception of Kentucky over the last month-plus has been interesting, to say the least. In mid-March, he had the Wildcats as a projected one-seed in the Midwest (Detroit) Region for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. But ever since then, the Wildcats have been trending in the wrong direction.

Odds to win the 2024 national championship

Lunardi’s thoughts are in stark contrast to what the oddsmakers in Las Vegas think. Over at Vegas Insider, Kentucky holds the fifth-best odds to win the 2024 national championship at +1500.

Connecticut +1100
Duke +1300
Arizona +1500
Alabama +1500
Kentucky +1500
Purdue +1600
Creighton +2000
Marquette +2000
Michigan State +2000
North Carolina +2400
UCLA +2500
Arkansas +2500
Kansas +2500