Joe Lunardi throws random darts in updated Bracketology

The release of the NET has made Joe Lunardi lose his mind. Back on his twice-a-week grind of Bracketology releases, the March Madness inaccuracy vet has laid out his dartboard and is throwing his shots.

Among them? Kentucky is a No. 6 seed in the South Region.

He says “we shouldn’t overreact to any metrics at this point,” comparing early NET rankings to April batting averages in Major League. Yet while the Wildcats sit comfortably at No. 16 and No. 17 in the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively, he’s allowed Kentucky‘s debut at No. 45 in the NET to cloud his judgement.

Keep in mind, ESPN, CBS Sports and The Athletic all still have the Cats inside the top 15 of their various power rankings, despite the team’s disappointing loss to UNCW over the weekend. The week was mostly a wash after blowing out a top-ten team in Miami (FL).

So how does Lunardi come up with a No. 6 seed when the current body of work suggests a No. 3 or No. 4, at minimum?

Besides the NET, which he already minimized its legitimacy in the early stages of the season, KenPom’s advanced analytics slot Kentucky at No. 22 overall in college basketball with the tenth-best offense — No. 10 efficiency, No. 6 effective FG%, No. 3 turnover rate and No. 6 3PT% — and 64th-best defense. NCAA.com lists the Wildcats at No. 25 overall, but only had them ranked No. 16 before the UNCW loss anyway. That’s the only real explanation.

Looking at the rest of the bracket, it’s clear any mediocre or bad loss tanked you more than good wins helped. But even then, there’s just not a ton of consistency across the board.

Hey, it’s early and none of it matters until March. Plenty of runway to get things right, starting Saturday at Penn. One game at a time.