Bracketology: Kentucky can spoil Tennessee's No. 1 seed dreams

Heading into the final game of the regular season, Kentucky is trending as a No. 4 seed in Bracketology. In addition to giving themselves a more favorable path in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, the Cats can play spoiler to Tennessee’s dreams of being a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance by winning in Knoxville.

The Vols are now a consensus No. 1 seed in Bracketology, taking the top spot from Arizona in most NCAA Tournament projections. A win over Kentucky would be Tennessee’s fourth straight in Quad 1, taking its record in Q1 games to 9-5. Arizona is 8-3 in Quad 1 but also has losses in Quads 2 and 3, whereas the Vols only have one slip-up outside of Quad 1, a Quad 2 loss to South Carolina.

Meanwhile, Kentucky is on the No. 4 seed line with some familiar foes: Auburn and Alabama. Both finish the regular season at home, the Tigers vs. Georgia and Alabama vs. Arkansas. A loss by one or both teams would not only help Kentucky get a higher seed in Nashville but also create a little separation in the big bracket that matters most. Go Bulldogs and Razorbacks!

Let’s hop into the latest NCAA Tournament projections.

ESPN: No. 4 seed, Midwest Region

Kentucky is holding steady as a No. 4 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest update. The Cats remain in the Midwest Region, with a potential Sweet 16 showdown with No. 1 Purdue. To get there, Kentucky would have to beat No. 13 seed Appalachian State and the winner of No. 5 seed Clemson/No. 12 seed Princeton.

St. John’s is one of Lunardi’s last four teams in, putting them in the No. 11 seed play-in game, the winner of which would play the No. 6 seed in the first round. A potential clash with Rick Pitino in the second round is something to keep an eye on if Kentucky makes it to the No. 3 seed.

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The Athletic: No. 4 seed, Midwest Region

Brian Bennett also has Kentucky in Pittsburgh as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region with a similar cluster of opening-round opponents. Baylor is the No. 2 seed in this scenario. Kentucky is the No. 13 team on Bennett’s seed list, so the highest-ranked No. 4 seed.

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USA Today: No. 4 seed, East Region

Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus put Kentucky in the East Region. Make it out of Spokane and the Cats could face No. 1 seed UConn (or No. 8 seed Gonzaga) in a very Husky-friendly Boston. No thanks.

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Bracketville: No. 4 seed, East Region

Kentucky’s also in the East Region in Bracketville’s latest update, which includes a potential second-round matchup vs. Mark Pope’s BYU. The bottom half of this bracket includes a lot of storylines: Wisconsin, St. John’s (Rick Pitino), Duke, and Seton Hall (Shaheen Holloway). If the Cats can get past defending champ UConn, the Elite Eight would not be boring.

Kentucky is the No. 13 team on the seed list behind Creighton (No. 12) and ahead of Alabama (No. 14).

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Resume Comparison

Here’s how Kentucky’s resume compares to other teams around them on the No. 3/4/5 seed lines. A win over Tennessee tomorrow would be Kentucky’s most impressive of the season in terms of resume/NET Rankings.