NCAA Resume Watch: Quad 1 opportunities coming for Kentucky

The NCAA Tournament will be underway two months from today. What seed will Kentucky be? Based on what they’ve done thus far, the Cats would be a No. 3 seed right now; however, with a backloaded schedule and a ton of momentum, there is plenty of room to improve.

Last week’s wins over Mississippi State and Georgia did little to move the needle in the NET Rankings. Kentucky is No. 18 in the latest update, the same as a week ago. That’s still fourth in the SEC behind Tennessee (No. 4), Auburn (No. 6), and Alabama (No. 8). Kentucky faces all three of those teams in the next two months, Tennessee twice, which shows you how much room there is to grow. The Cats have a Quad 1 opportunity each week from now until the end of the season.

As we’ll do each Monday from now 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: 2-2 (7 games remaining)
• Quad 2: 2-0 (4 games remaining)
• Quad 3: 5-1 (2 games remaining)
• Quad 4: 5-0 (1 game remaining)

Quad 1: 2-2

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
4	3/9/2024	at Tennessee
4	2/3/2024	Tennessee
6	2/17/2024	at Auburn
7	12/16/2023	North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic)	W 87-83
8	2/24/2024	Alabama
14	11/14/2023	Kansas (Champions Classic)	L 84-89
30	2/10/2024	Gonzaga
39	01/13/2024	at Texas A&M	L 92-97 (1 OT)
40	2/27/2024	at Mississippi St.
45	01/06/2024	at Florida	W 87-85
61	1/23/2024	at South Carolina

Quad 2: 2-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
40	1/17/2024	Mississippi State	W 90-77
45	1/31/2024	Florida
64	11/28/2023	Miami (FL)	W 95-73
70	2/13/2024	Ole Miss
92	2/21/2024	at LSU
118	01/27/2024	at Arkansas

Quad 3: 5-1

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
81	1/20/2024	Georgia	W 105-96
82	11/20/2023	Saint Joseph’s	W 96-88 (1 OT)
115	12/2/2023	UNCW	L 73-80
118	3/2/2024	Arkansas
127	01/09/2024	Missouri	W 90-77
188	12/9/2023	Penn (Neutral)	W 81-66
223	12/21/2023	at Louisville	W 95-76
236	02/06/2024	at Vanderbilt

Quad 4: 5-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
220	11/24/2023	Marshall	W 118-82
226	12/29/2023	Illinois St.	W 96-70
236	3/6/2024	Vanderbilt
263	11/6/2023	New Mexico State	W 86-46
305	11/10/2023	Texas A&M-Commerce	W 81-61
358	11/17/2023	Stonehill	W 101-67

Team Sheet Notes

— There’s been some Quad movement this week. With wins over Pepperdine and San Diego, Gonzaga moved up to No. 30 in the NET, which bumps the Feb. 10 game vs. the Bulldogs into Quad 1 for now. The range for Quad 1 games is NET 1-30 at home, so the Gonzaga game is right on the cusp.

— Despite losing twice last week (Auburn, Mississippi State), Vanderbilt moved up to No. 236 in the NET, which bumps the game vs. the Commodores in Nashville to Quad 3. The game vs. Vandy in Rupp remains in Quad 4.

— The UNC Wilmington loss remains firmly in Quad 3. The Seahawks are No. 115 in the NET, well within the Quad 3 range for home games (76-160). Keeping that loss out of Quad 4 is big.

The Road Ahead

Here is where each remaining game sits on the team sheet according to the current NET rankings. Tomorrow’s game at South Carolina is the first of seven Quad 1 games left. Saturday’s game at Arkansas is in Quad 2. With College Gameday in town, Bud Walton will be rocking despite the Razorbacks’ struggles this season.

Date	Opponent	NET Ranking	Quad
1/23/2024	at South Carolina	61	Quad 1
1/27/2024	at Arkansas	118	Quad 2
1/31/2024	Florida	45	Quad 2
2/3/2024	Tennessee	4	Quad 1
02/06/2024	at Vanderbilt	236	Quad 3
2/10/2024	Gonzaga	30	Quad 1
2/13/2024	Ole Miss	70	Quad 2
2/17/2024	at Auburn	6	Quad 1
2/21/2024	at LSU	92	Quad 2
2/24/2024	Alabama	8	Quad 1
2/27/2024	at Mississippi St.	40	Quad 1
3/2/2024	Arkansas	118	Quad 3
3/6/2024	Vanderbilt	236	Quad 4
3/9/2024	at Tennessee	4	Quad 1