Kentucky is a No. 3 seed in the latest Bracketology -- and could take on Rick Pitino

by:Jack Pilgrim•about 9 hours

Mark Pope embraces Rick Pitino as he addresses the crowd at Rupp Arena for his first Big Blue Madness as Kentucky's head coach - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Panicking about Kentucky‘s season derailing as we know it thanks to the Arkansas loss, the third of four for the Wildcats as they fall to 4-4 in the SEC with seven Quad 1 matchups to go and the team’s injury situation fairly concerning? Breathe, life could be worse at this stage of the season. That’s how ESPN’s Joe Lunardi views it, anyway.

In his latest Bracketology update released Tuesday, Kentucky is still listed as a No. 3 seed and the No. 11 overall team in the field — considered an NCAA Tournament lock.

The Wildcats have slipped to sixth in the SEC behind Auburn (No. 1), Alabama (No. 2) and Tennessee (No. 4) as the No. 1 seeds, Florida (No. 6) a No. 2 seed and Texas A&M (No. 10) joining UK as No. 3 seeds. From there, Missouri (No. 19) and Ole Miss (No. 20) are No. 5 seeds, followed by Mississippi State (No. 25) as a No. 6, Texas (No. 35) and Oklahoma (No. 36) as No. 9 seeds, Vanderbilt (No. 40) as a No. 10 and Georgia (No. 41) to round things out as a No. 11 seed.

Arkansas is included in the next four out category, flirting with a 14th bid in the SEC. For now, though, a record-setting 13 bids will have to do for the league.

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Kentucky’s path includes an opening-round matchup vs. No. 14 seed Cleveland State, setting up a potential date with Rick Pitino and No. 6 seed St. John’s in the Round of 32 — talk about must-see TV. Win that one and the Cats would likely take on No. 2 seed Houston in the Sweet 16, followed by a date with No. 1 overall seed Auburn in the Elite Eight for a spot in the Final Four.

How does Providence, then Atlanta sound, BBN?

Take a look at the complete NCAA Tournament bracket below:

I don’t know about you, but I’m a fan. Just keep winning, Cats.

NCAA.com has Kentucky as a No. 4 seed

Andy Katz agrees with the Mark Pope vs. Rick Pitino matchup in the Round of 32 — albeit with a slightly different path. He has Kentucky listed as a No. 4 and St. John’s as a No. 5 to set up the second-round battle. From there, it’d be No. 1 seed Auburn in the Sweet 16, then No. 2 seed Houston in the Elite Eight.

All the same potential matchups, slightly different path to get there.