NCAA Tournament Resume Watch: A Big Quad 1A Week for Kentucky

Kentucky’s win over South Carolina was important for many reasons. First, it stopped a two-game skid. Second, the Cats avoided what would have been a huge blemish on its NCAA Tournament resume. Now, they have an opportunity to get another statement win tomorrow vs. Tennessee, a task that looks slightly less daunting with Lamont Butler back in the lineup.

Kentucky fell to No. 24 in the NET Rankings after the loss at Ole Miss. Today, the Cats are back up to No. 17, two spots higher than a week ago following the loss to Arkansas. Tennessee is No. 4 in the NET, one of four SEC teams in the top ten. Auburn is No. 1, the Vols No. 4, Florida No. 5, and Alabama No. 6. Kentucky has games against three of those teams left on the schedule and has already beaten the other. On the one hand, big opportunities; on the other, tall ask!

Let’s talk team sheet, which the Selection Committee will use as it determines the Cats’ seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky’s loss at Ole Miss was in Quad 1A, so it won’t hurt the Cats much (even if that first half was brutal). The win over South Carolina was in Quad 3, where, as mentioned, they could not have afforded a loss. There is only one more Quad 3 game left on the schedule, vs. LSU on March 4. Aside from next week’s Quad 2 game vs. Vanderbilt, all of Kentucky’s remaining games are in Quad 1, including the two this week.

Let’s break it all down.

• Quad 1: 7-6 (Games Remaining: 6)
  • Quad 1A: 6-4
  • Quad 1B: 1-2
• Quad 2: 0-1 (Games Remaining: 1)
• Quad 3: 3-0 (Games Remaining: 1)
• Quad 4: 6-0 (Games Remaining: 0)

Quad 1: 7-6

• Quad 1: Home: 1-30 | Neutral: 1-50 | Away: 1-75
  • *Quad 1A: Home 1-15 | Neutral 1-25 | Away 1-40
  • Quad 1B: Home 16-30 | Neutral 26-50 | Away 41-75

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
1	03/01/2025	* Auburn
2	11/12/2024	* Duke (Champions Classic)	W 77-72
4	01/28/2025	* @ Tennessee	W 78-73
4	02/11/2025	* Tennessee
5	01/04/2025	* Florida	W 106-100
6	02/22/2025	* @ Alabama
6	01/18/2025	* Alabama	L 97-102
13	01/14/2025	* Texas A&M	W 81-69
14	12/07/2024	* Gonzaga (Seattle)	W 90-89 (1 OT)
22	02/04/2025	* @ Ole Miss	L 84-98
23	03/08/2025	* @ Missouri
27	12/21/2024	Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic)	L 65-85
28	12/14/2024	Louisville	W 93-85
29	01/11/2025	* @ Mississippi State	W 95-90
30	12/03/2024	* @ Clemson	L 66-70
31	02/15/2025	* @ Texas
34	01/07/2025	* @ Georgia	L 69-82
42	01/25/2025	@ Vanderbilt	L 69-74
44	02/26/2025	@ Oklahoma

Quad 2: 0-1

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
42	02/19/2025	Vanderbilt
43	02/01/2025	Arkansas	L 79-89

Quad 3: 3-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
80	03/04/2025	LSU
89	11/19/2024	Lipscomb	W 97-68
90	02/08/2025	South Carolina	W 80-57
119	11/26/2024	Western Ky.	W 87-68

Quad 4: 6-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
190	11/04/2024	Wright St.	W 103-62
227	12/31/2024	Brown	W 88-54
236	11/09/2024	Bucknell	W 100-72
250	12/11/2024	Colgate	W 78-67
276	11/29/2024	Georgia St.	W 105-76
286	11/22/2024	Jackson St.	W 108-59

Team Sheet Notes

— Kentucky is still tied for third in the country in Quad 1 wins (7) behind Auburn (12) and Tennessee (8) but there are a lot more teams up there with them now. Arizona, Oregon, Purdue, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, and Alabama all have seven Quad 1 wins as well. Only one of those teams, Wisconsin, also has a loss outside Quad 1. The Arkansas game stunk!

— Kentucky is trending as a No. 4 seed after the South Carolina win. Here’s how the Cats’ resume stacks up with some other teams on the No. 3/No. 4 seed line (courtesy of Bracketologists). The Quad 2 loss isn’t great, but Kentucky’s strength of schedule helps make up for it.

— All of Kentucky’s Quad 1 and Quad 2 games are safely in the margins. The home game vs. LSU could move from Quad 2 to Quad 3 if the Tigers climb into the Top 75 of the NET. They’re currently No. 80.

The Road Ahead

It’s another Quad 1A week for Kentucky, with tomorrow’s game in Rupp and Saturday’s game vs. Texas in Austin sitting at the top of the resume. Ideally, you’d love to win both of those; sweeping Tennessee would be another star on the resume.

Date	Opponent	NET Ranking	Quad
02/11/2025	Tennessee	4	Quad 1A
02/15/2025	@ Texas	31	Quad 1A
02/19/2025	Vanderbilt	42	Quad 2
02/22/2025	@ Alabama	6	Quad 1A
02/26/2025	@ Oklahoma	44	Quad 1B
03/01/2025	Auburn	1	Quad 1A
03/04/2025	LSU	80	Quad 3
03/08/2025	@ Missouri	23	Quad 1A

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