Yes, Kentucky dropped in Bracketology after the Florida loss

You knew it was coming. Kentucky’s loss to Florida knocked the Cats down at least a seed line in the latest NCAA Tournament projections. Kentucky was trending as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed going into Wednesday’s game vs. the Gators. Now, the Cats are looking more like a No. 5 seed, or, for the most optimistic, a No. 4 seed.

Here’s a roundup of this morning’s updates.

ESPN: No. 5 seed

Joe Lunardi moved Kentucky from a No. 4 seed to a No. 5 seed in today’s update at ESPN. In this mockup, the Cats are in the East Region playing No. 12 Richmond in Brooklyn with Iowa State as the No. 4 seed, Duke as the No. 3 seed, Tennessee as the No. 2 seed, and UConn as the No. 1 seed. Florida, previously in Lunardi’s Next Four Out, is now the First Team Out.

The Athletic: No. 5 seed

Over at The Athletic, Brian Bennett has Kentucky as a No. 5 seed. His hypothetical draw has the Cats in the East Region, playing No. 12 Princeton in Spokane. Kentucky is the No. 20 team on Bennett’s seed list behind Utah State (No. 17), Auburn (No. 18), and BYU (No. 19). Tennessee is a No. 2 seed.

Mike DeCourcy: No. 4 seed

Mike DeCourcy is a little more optimistic. He only moved Kentucky from a No. 3 seed to a No. 4 seed. The Cats are in the West Region with No. 1 seed North Carolina in his bracket.

The first bracket of February from @tsnmike 🙌

What do you think? pic.twitter.com/WnfZT7Ooe0

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 2, 2024

Big Opportunities Ahead, Starting Saturday

The loss to Florida may mean Kentucky is out of contention for a top seed, but the good news is the Cats still have opportunities to improve their resume. There are six Quad 1 games left on the schedule, starting with a very big one tomorrow night vs. Tennessee. The Vols are No. 5 in the NET Rankings, meaning a win would easily be the most impressive of the season thus far. Kentucky is currently No. 25 in the NET and 2-3 in Quad 1.

Here is where each remaining game sits on Kentucky’s team sheet according to the current NET rankings. The Cats need Quad 1 wins to offset the Quad 2 loss to Florida and the Quad 3 loss to UNC Wilmington.

Date	Opponent	NET Rank	Quad
2/3/2024	Tennessee	5	Quad 1
2/6/2024	at Vanderbilt	237	Quad 3
2/10/2024	Gonzaga	26	Quad 1
2/13/2024	Ole Miss	58	Quad 2
2/17/2024	at Auburn	8	Quad 1
2/21/2024	at LSU	95	Quad 2
2/24/2024	Alabama	7	Quad 1
2/27/2024	at Mississippi St.	37	Quad 1
3/2/2024	Arkansas	121	Quad 3
3/6/2024	Vanderbilt	237	Quad 4
3/9/2024	at Tennessee	5	Quad 1

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