Kentucky knocked down to "Last Four In" following loss to Arkansas

Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament chances are hanging on by a thread.

After falling at home 88-73 on Tuesday night to the Arkansas Razorbacks (a team also on the bubble), the Wildcats have been bumped down a peg in the latest Bracketology update from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. Kentucky came into that matchup among the group of “Last Four Byes” alongside Arkansas but has now been dropped to the “Last Four In” category while the Razorbacks move firmly into the field of 68 with a projected eight-seed.

Lunardi tabs Kentucky as an 11-seed, putting the ‘Cats in the play-in round that takes place in Dayton, OH ahead of the Round of 64. UK is joined by New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas A&M among the “Last Four In”.

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— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 8, 2023

Lunardi isn’t alone in his thinking, either. Over at TeamRankings.com, Kentucky also checks in as a projected 11-seed with just a 55 percent chance of earning an at-large bid and a five percent chance of receiving an automatic bid by winning the SEC Tournament. Meanwhile, BartTorvik is slightly higher on the ‘Cats, projecting them as a nine-seed with a 56.5 percent chance of making the NCAA Tournament.

Fellow ESPN analyst John Gasaway grouped Kentucky in the “Work to do” category among SEC teams, along with Florida, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State.

Kentucky is just 1-7 against Quad 1 opponents this season, which has canceled out a combined 9-0 mark against Quad 2 and 3 teams. Losing to South Carolina, UK’s lone Quad 4 loss on the year (6-1), has weighed the resume down quite a bit. That being said, of the remaining seven games on Kentucky’s regular-season schedule, five of them will be Quad 1 opportunities.

There will be plenty of chances for Kentucky to play itself back into the tournament picture, but the ‘Cats need to start stacking wins in a hurry.