Bracketology: Kentucky trending as No. 4 seed in Midwest Region
Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament resume is looking up with two regular-season games and the SEC Tournament remaining. Heading into the Vanderbilt game, the Cats are trending as a No. 4 seed in Bracketology, and a No. 3 seed could be within reach with a strong finish.
A common path is showing up for Kentucky in the latest NCAA Tournament projections. Most outlets have the Cats as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region with No. 1 seed Purdue as a potential Sweet 16 opponent. Kentucky’s high-flying freshmen vs. Zach Edey in Detroit? Lexington is just a little bit further from the Motor City than West Lafayette, so you know Blue will get in.
Here’s a rundown of the latest Bracketology, starting with Joey Brackets himself.
ESPN: No. 4 seed – Midwest Region
Joe Lunardi moved Kentucky up to the No. 4 seed line over the weekend. In today’s bracket update, the Cats are in the Midwest Region, playing opening rounds in Brooklyn. To get to Detroit, Kentucky would have to knock off No. 13 Appalachian State and the winner of No. 5 Clemson and No. 12 Richmond. A potential Sweet 16 game vs. No. 1 seed Purdue waits in Detroit. No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 3 seed Baylor are in the bottom of this draw.
Kentucky is the top No. 4 seed on Lunardi’s list and could move up with another Quad 1 win (like Tennessee in Knoxville or one of several matchups in the SEC Tournament).
USA Today: No. 4 seed – Midwest Region
USA Today’s trio of Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus also have the Cats as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region with No. 1 seed Purdue. This hypothetical puts the Cats in Spokane for opening-round games, with a potential second-round game vs. BYU, coached by former Cat Mark Pope.
Here are the teams around Kentucky in USA Today’s draw:
- No. 3 seeds: Alabama, Baylor, Duke, Creighton
- No. 4 seeds: San Diego State, Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas
- No. 5 seeds: Saint Mary’s, Brigham Young, Auburn, Utah State
Bracketville: No. 4 seed – Midwest Region
Kentucky is in the Midwest Region in Bracketville’s latest update. Purdue is the No. 1 seed, Baylor the No. 2 seed, and Marquette the No. 3 seed. The Cats are the top No. 4 seed on Bracketville’s seed list behind Creighton.
- No. 3 seeds: Marquette, Kansas, Duke, Creighton
- No. 4 seeds: Kentucky, Alabama, San Diego State, Illinois
- No. 5 seeds: Auburn, BYU, South Carolina, Washington State
Andy Katz: No. 4 seed – Midwest Region
Andy Katz also puts the Cats in the Midwest Region, potentially facing No. 5 seed Clemson in the second round. Kentucky is No. 15 on his overall seed list, so the third No. 4 seed behind Illinois and Alabama.
Mike DeCourcy: No. 4 seed – South Region
In his latest update for FOX Sports, Mike DeCourcy places Kentucky in the South Region with No. 1 seed Houston. No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 3 seed Duke are in the bottom half of this draw.
CBS Sports: No. 5 seed – West Region
Jerry Palm is the lowest on the Cats among the national media. In yesterday’s update, Kentucky is his lowest No. 5 seed, just one spot off the No. 6 seed line. That puts them in the West Region, where they could face No. 1 Tennessee in the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.
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