Kentucky MBB back in NCAA Tournament picture after beating Georgia

Now riding a two-game win streak, Kentucky men’s basketball is slowly building up its postseason resume.

After beating the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday night 85-71, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi now has the Wildcats back in the field of 68 according to his most recent Bracketology update. Lunardi slots Kentucky as the final team among the “Last Four In” group, projecting the ‘Cats as 12-seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky is now up to No. 39 in the NET rankings after picking up its fourth Quad 3 win of the season against Georgia. Thanks to a season-changing victory on the road over Tennessee this past weekend, UK is now 1-5 against Quad 1 opponents, but will surely need more to boost its postseason chances.

Lunardi previously had Kentucky among the “First Four Out” group before and after the win over the Volunteers. But taking down a solid Georgia team has the ‘Cats back in good standing with the experts.

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— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) January 18, 2023

On the season, Kentucky holds a 12-6 overall record with a 3-3 mark across SEC play. The ‘Cats are 1-5 against Quad 1 teams, 1-0 against Quad 2, 4-0 against Quad 3, and 6-1 against Quad 4 (the lone Quad 4 blemish coming against South Carolina — currently ranked 280 in the NET — at home).

There will be plenty of opportunities for Kentucky to add to its resume moving forward. Below are the Quad 1 opponents remaining on the Wildcats’ schedule:

• Jan. 28: Kansas
• Feb. 7: Arkansas
• Feb. 15: at Mississippi State
• Feb. 18: Tennessee
• Feb. 22: at Florida
• Feb. 25: Auburn
• March 4: at Arkansas

Next up for UK is a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies in Lexington. That’ll be a Quad 2 opportunity for the ‘Cats and would give the team plenty of momentum moving into a tough back-end schedule. Kentucky will tipoff against Texas A&M at 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.