NCAA Resume Watch: Kentucky back in NET Top 20 after Alabama win

After another wild week, Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament resume is trending up. The Cats’ dominant win over Alabama made up for the loss to LSU, at least in the NET Rankings. Kentucky is up to No. 19 today, its highest position since the win over Georgia in January. The Cats were No. 24 entering Saturday’s game.

Kentucky’s Quad 1 record was 3-6 a week ago; today, it is 5-5. The win over Alabama, ranked No. 6 in the NET, obviously goes into Quad 1, but Mississippi State is up to No. 28 in the NET, which moves the Cats’ victory over the Bulldogs on Jan. 17 from Quad 2 to Quad 1. On the flip side, Florida is down to No. 31 in the NET, which bumps the loss at Rupp on Jan. 31 from Quad 1 to Quad 2. That’s also where the loss at LSU resides.

With four regular-season games remaining, Kentucky’s resume can get even better. Tomorrow’s game vs. Mississippi State in Starkville is one of two Quad 1 games left, the other being at Tennessee on March 9. Kentucky’s home games vs. Arkansas and Vanderbilt are in Quads 3 and 4, respectively. Take care of business on the road tomorrow (a big ask, we’ve learned) and at home vs. two bad squads, and Kentucky can take a four-game winning streak to Knoxville.

As we’ll do each Monday until Selection Sunday, let’s look at Kentucky’s team sheet, which the Selection Committee will use as it determines the Cats’ seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Quad 1: 5-5 (2 games remaining)
• Quad 2: 2-2 (0 games remaining)
• Quad 3: 6-1 (1 game remaining)
• Quad 4: 6-0 (1 game remaining)

Quad 1: 5-5

Home: 1-30 | Neutral: 1-50 | Away: 1-75

NET	Date	Opponent	Result
5	3/9/2024	at Tennessee
5	02/03/2024	Tennessee	L 92-103
6	02/24/2024	Alabama	W 117-95
7	02/17/2024	at Auburn	W 70-59
9	12/16/2023	North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic)	W 87-83
14	11/14/2023	Kansas (Champions Classic)	L 84-89
21	02/10/2024	Gonzaga	L 85-89
28	2/27/2024	at Mississippi State
28	01/17/2024	Mississippi State	W 90-77
31	01/06/2024	at Florida	W 87-85
48	01/23/2024	at South Carolina	L 62-79
58	01/13/2024	at Texas A&M	L 92-97 (1 OT)

Quad 2: 2-2

Home: 31-75 | Neutral: 51-100 | Away: 76-135

NET	Date	Opponent	Result
31	1/31/2024	Florida	L 91-94 (1 OT)
75	02/13/2024	Ole Miss	W 75-63
90	02/21/2024	at LSU	L 74-75
121	01/27/2024	at Arkansas	W 63-57

Quad 3: 6-1

Home: 76-160 | Neutral: 101-200 | Away: 136-240

NET	Date	Opponent	Result
91	11/28/2023	Miami (FL)	W 95-73
97	01/20/2024	Georgia	W 105-96
99	11/20/2023	Saint Joseph’s	W 96-88 (1 OT)
101	12/02/2023	UNC Wilmington	L 73-80
121	3/2/2024	Arkansas
150	1/9/2024	Missouri	W 90-77
206	12/21/2023	at Louisville	W 95-76
229	2/6/2024	at Vanderbilt	W 109-77

Quad 4: 6-0

Home: 161-362 | Neutral: 201-362 | Away: 241-362

NET	Date	Opponent	Result
170	12/29/2023	Illinois St.	W 96-70
207	12/09/2023	Penn (Neutral)	W 81-66
229	3/6/2024	Vanderbilt
241	11/24/2023	Marshall	W 118-82
286	11/6/2023	New Mexico State	W 86-46
333	11/10/2023	Texas A&M-Commerce	W 81-61
354	11/17/2023	Stonehill	W 101-67

Team Sheet Notes

— As mentioned, Mississippi State and Florida are both hovering around the No. 30 mark of the NET, which means the win over the Bulldogs and the loss to the Gators will probably bounce between Quads 1 and 2 the rest of the season. It would be nice if the loss to Florida ended up in Quad 1. The Gators still play Missouri (home), South Carolina (away), Alabama (home), and Vanderbilt (away).

— Kentucky’s 5-5 Quad 1 record is respectable, but when you look at who the Cats have beaten, it’s really impressive. As Nick Roush noted yesterday, Kentucky has more wins over NET Top 10 teams (three) than any team in the country. Of course, they can add at least one more by beating Tennessee.

— The loss to UNC Wilmington is holding steady in Quad 3, which is good. Quad 4 losses are resume busters.

— Kentucky is trending as a No. 5 seed in the latest Bracketology. Here’s how the Cats’ resume compares to teams around them on the No. 4/No. 5 seed lines, courtesy of Bracketologists:

The Road Ahead

Here is where each remaining game sits on the team sheet according to the current NET rankings. As mentioned, tomorrow’s game at Mississippi State is in Quad 1 and Saturday’s game vs. Arkansas is in Quad 3. A win in Starkville would be huge for resume and momentum purposes. The Cats can’t afford another clunker like we saw last week in Baton Rouge.

Date	Opponent	NET	Quad
2/27/2024	at Mississippi State	28	Quad 1
3/2/2024	Arkansas	121	Quad 3
3/6/2024	Vanderbilt	229	Quad 4
3/9/2024	at Tennessee	5	Quad 1