Kentucky earns No. 6 seed in NCAA Tournament, will face Providence in Greensboro

Kentucky is back in the Big Dance. March Madness is taking over the Commonwealth as the Wildcats received an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky (21-11, 12-6 SEC) earned a No. 6 seed in the East Region, which will be hosted by New York City’s Madison Square Garden). We learned during Sunday’s Selection Show the Wildcats will face off against No. 11 seed Providence in Greensboro on Friday. Providence is led by former Wildcat Bryce Hopkins, who leads the Friars with 16.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Kentucky is looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2019.

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The regular season ended on a high for the Wildcats, winning five of their last six games, including a dominant 88-79 victory at Arkansas in the season finale. Unfortunately, that momentum did not continue in the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats were one and done for the second time in three years, falling to Vanderbilt in the first round of the tournament in Nashville.

The Wildcats are getting some much-needed rest for a myriad of injured players. An ankle injury sidelined Cason Wallace at Arkansas and he still appeared somewhat hobbled in Nashville. CJ Fredrick has not looked the same since he cracked some ribs on the sideline against Florida. After taking a few weeks off, he’s only scored eight total points in four games. Sahvir Wheeler has not played since Feb. 4.

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Complete 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Alabama, winners of the regular season and SEC Tournament, earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The SEC received eight NCAA Tournament bids, but six are a No. 6 seed or lower.

The Purdue Boilermakers are the No. 1 seed in the East Region with Kentucky. If the Wildcats advance, they’ll face the winner of Kansas State/Montana State in the Round of 32. Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans and Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles are potential Sweet 16 foes.

Official seed list from the NCAA: pic.twitter.com/d2kKNxVP7J

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 12, 2023