Bracketology: Kentucky still on No. 6/7 seed line at end of regular season

One week from now, we will know Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament path. Until then, get ready for an onslaught of projections.

After the win over Arkansas, Kentucky is still trending as a No. 6/7 seed. The Cats’ average seed on Bracket Matrix, which compiles all 68 projected brackets on the internet, is 6.25. They are as high as a No. 5 seed and as low as a No. 8 seed. Kentucky is up to the last No. 5 seed on TeamRankings, behind Indiana and ahead of Duke. BartTorvik sets the Cats’ seed at 5.1, giving the Cats a 10.4% chance of winning the SEC Tournament to get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

What are the big-name bracketologists saying about the Cats’ seed just six days from Selection Sunday? Let’s dive in.

ESPN: No. 7 seed in the South Region

In last night’s update, Joe Lunardi put Kentucky in the South Region as a No. 7 seed. In this hypothetical, the Cats would face No. 10 seed West Virginia in the first round in Columbus, a matchup that would be chock full of storylines. No. 2 seed Purdue — including 7’4″ center Zach Edey — likely awaits in the second round.

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CBS Sports: No. 7 seed in South Region

Jerry Palm also has Kentucky in the South Region as a No. 7 seed, but facing No. 10 Boise State in Denver for the chance to face No. 2 Kansas State. Missouri is the No. 6 seed in this region, with No. 5 seed Duke and No. 4 seed Indiana in the top half of the bracket. Seeing Rick Pitino go up against Indiana would be fun.

Kentucky is the third No. 7 seed on Palm’s seed list, ahead of Michigan State.

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The Athletic: No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region

The Athletic’s Brian Bennett put the Cats on the No. 6 seed line in the Midwest Region. Here, they would face No. 11 Rutgers in the first round in Columbus to advance to face the winner of No. 3 Marquette and No. 14 Colgate.

Bennett is bullish on the Cats, ranking them as the second No. 6 seed on his seed list.

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Kentucky’s Team Sheet at the End of the Regular Season

Kentucky is up to No. 19 in the NET Rankings this morning. Here is the Cats’ team sheet following the conclusion of the regular season. The Selection Committee breaks Quads 1 and 2 into two parts to further categorize wins and losses. Quad 1A wins are obviously huge. Kentucky has three: the sweep of Tennessee and Saturday’s win at Arkansas.

The wins over Auburn (NET No. 32) and Michigan (NET No. 54) are in Quad 2 for now. If the Tigers rise into the Top 30 of the NET and the Wolverines into the Top 50, those victories will bump up to Quad 1. Auburn faces Arkansas in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday.

• Quad 1: 6-7
  • Quad 1A: 3-4
  • Quad 1B: 3-3
• Quad 2: 6-0
  • Quad 2A: 3-0
  • Quad 2B: 3-0
• Quad 3: 3-2
• Quad 4: 6-1

Quad 1: 6-7

Quad 1A: Home: 1-15, Neutral: 1-25, Away: 1-40

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
2	01/07/2023	at Alabama	L 52-78
3	01/14/2023	at Tennessee	W 63-56
3	02/18/2023	Tennessee	W 66-54
4	12/17/2022	UCLA (CBS Sports Classic)	L 53-63
7	01/28/2023	Kansas	L 68-77
9	11/20/2022	at Gonzaga	L 72-88
18	03/04/2023	at Arkansas	W 88-79

Quad 1B: Home: 16-30, Neutral: 26-50, Away: 41-75

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
18	02/07/2023	Arkansas	L 73-88
23	01/21/2023	Texas A&M	W 76-67
31	11/15/2022	Michigan St. (Champions Classic)	L 77-86 (2 OT)
46	02/15/2023	at Mississippi St.	W 71-68
48	12/28/2022	at Missouri	L 75-89
59	02/22/2023	at Florida	W 82-74

Quad 2: 6-0

Quad 2A: Home: 31-55, Neutral: 51-75, Away: 76-100

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
32	02/25/2023	Auburn	W 86-54
54	12/04/2022	Michigan (London Showcase)	W 73-69
83	01/24/2023	at Vanderbilt	W 69-53

Quad 2B: Home: 56-75, Neutral: 76-100, Away: 101-135

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
59	02/04/2023	Florida	W 72-67
62	12/10/2022	Yale	W 69-59
129	01/31/2023	at Ole Miss	W 75-66

Quad 3: 3-2

Home: 76-160, Neutral: 101-200, Away: 136-240

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
83	03/01/2023	Vanderbilt	L 66-68
123	11/11/2022	Duquesne	W 77-52
153	01/17/2023	Georgia	W 85-71
153	02/11/2023	at Georgia	L 68-75
155	01/03/2023	LSU	W 74-71

Quad 4: 6-1

Home: 161-357, Neutral: 201-357, Away: 241-357

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
226	11/07/2022	Howard	W 95-63
228	01/10/2023	South Carolina	L 68-71
234	11/23/2022	North Florida	W 96-56
263	11/29/2022	Bellarmine	W 60-41
311	12/31/2022	Louisville	W 86-63
344	11/17/2022	South Carolina St.	W 106-63
359	12/21/2022	Florida A&M	W 88-68

Here’s what Kentucky can add to its resume in the SEC Tournament:

• Quarterfinals vs. Vanderbilt/Georgia/LSU: Quad 2 or 3 win
• Semifinals vs. Texas A&M/Auburn/Arkansas: Quad 1 win
• Finals vs. Alabama/Missouri/Tennessee/Florida/MSU/South Carolina: Likely Quad 1 win

Even just one more Quad 1 win would be a big boost for Kentucky’s resume, so let’s hope the Cats get to Sunday.

Comparing Kentucky’s Resume to other No. 6/7 seeds

Lots still in play due to conference tournaments this week. As of today, here’s how Kentucky’s resume compares to other projected No. 6 and 7 seeds: