Bracketology: Kentucky down to No. 7 seed line

Earlier this week, Kentucky was trending as a No. 6 seed in Bracketology, with room to grow. The Cats’ loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, a Quad 3 defeat, knocked them back a bit. Kentucky is now a No. 7 seed in most projections ahead of the regular-season finale at Arkansas.

Kentucky’s average seed on Bracket Matrix, which compiles all the NCAA Tournament projections on the internet, is 6.52. That leaves the Cats as the final No. 6 seed. Across the 82 brackets, Kentucky is as high as a No. 5 seed and as low as a No. 9 seed. Kentucky’s still on the No. 6 seed line on TeamRankings. BartTorvik aims higher, setting Kentucky’s average seed at 5.5.

As you’ll see below, most of the “big name” Bracketologists put Kentucky on the No. 7 seed line for now.

ESPN: No. 7 seed in the South Region

Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology dropped this morning. Kentucky is still in the South Region but as a No. 7 seed instead of a No. 6 seed. In this hypothetical, the Cats would face No. 10 seed USC in Denver for the chance to play No. 2 seed Baylor in the second round.

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CBS Sports: No. 7 seed in the West Region

Yesterday, Jerry Palm put the Cats in the West Region as the No. 7 seed. He has the Cats facing No. 10 seed FAU in Sacramento. The winner draws No. 2 UCLA.

Kentucky is Palm’s last No. 7 seed on the seed list:

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The Athletic: No. 6 seed in the West Region

Kentucky is still a No. 6 seed in Brian Bennett’s latest projections, facing the winner of the Wisconsin/Arizona State play-in game in Des Moines. Kentucky is the final No. 6 seed on Bennett’s seed line.

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USA Today: No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region

USA Today’s panel of Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus dropped the Cats all the way down to a No. 8 seed. That means potentially facing a No. 1 seed in the second round. In this hypothetical, Kentucky would play No. 9 seed Rutgers in the first round in Denver for the chance to face No. 1 seed Houston.

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Bracketville: No. 7 seed in the West Region

Kentucky is a No. 7 seed in the West Region in Bracketville’s morning update. The Cats are the second-to-last No. 7 seed on the seed list.

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Kentucky’s resume compared to other No. 6/7 Seeds

Kentucky is 11-7 in Quads 1 and 2, which is pretty impressive compared to the teams they’re around on the seed lines; however, the 9-3 record in Quads 3 and 4 is weighing the Cats down. Without the Quad 3 loss vs. Vanderbilt, Kentucky’s ceiling would be higher. The Cats can still pick up a Quad 1 win at Arkansas tomorrow and a few more in the SEC Tournament. Of course, Cason Wallace‘s health will be a huge factor.

Here’s how the Cats’ resume compares to other projected No. 6 and 7 seeds.

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