Kentucky Climbs Bracket Projections with Auburn Win

Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially one month away from Selection Sunday. Kentucky is trending in the right direction ahead of March Madness.

Prior to Saturday’s games around the college basketball world, CBS broadcasted the Early Bracket Reveal. The Selection Committee shared the top 16 teams entering the final month of the regular season, providing a barometer for teams before bulking up on some late wins.

Kentucky was not included as one of the top 16 teams in the Early Bracket Reveal. They did beat one of those teams Saturday night. The dominant performance on The Plains gives Kentucky a double-digit Quad 1 win away from home in one of the more impressive victories in college basketball this season.

Kentucky did enough to move up, just not quite into a No. 4 seed territory. Initially slotted in as a No. 6 seed, the victory at Auburn now has the Wildcats comfortably on the No. 5 line, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

“Kentucky gained more than Auburn lost in terms of bracket impact. The Wildcats move up a full line (5-seed, No. 20 overall) thanks to a near wire-to-wire road victory,” writes Lunardi.

“The Tigers came in with a good bit more cushion in terms of seeding and will retain the No. 4 seed they received in the NCAA’s Saturday reveal. Looking ahead, though, it’s not inconceivable these two rivals could trade places between now and Selection Sunday.”

Most prognosticators wait to publish their updates until after the action concludes on Sunday. One other update from last night by BracketWAG also has Kentucky up to a No. 5 seed.

Kentucky has more Big Win Opportunities

This season has been a roller coaster. The same team that tried to run a lob play to beat a bad Gonzaga team at home just ran a top-15 team out of its own gym. It’s not just any gym either. Auburn was unbeaten at home with only two losses at home over the last two seasons. Now they have three.

During Kentucky’s difficult stretch that included three straight losses at home, there was one saving grace from the situation. No matter how bleak things looked at the time, you could make up for the bad losses with good wins.

Above all else, the Selection Committee places value on quality wins. It’s all about who you beat and Kentucky just logged a big one. They have a chance to add another one next Saturday at Rupp Arena against Alabama, which could open the door for a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. They’ll end the season with a big opportunity at Tennessee. At one time the BBN feared the 8 vs. 9 game might be in their future. Now it’s difficult to discern just how high they can climb.

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