NCAA Tournament Resume Watch: Kentucky's run of Quad 1 games is about to come to an end

Kentucky’s loss at Vanderbilt did more damage to its place in the SEC standings than its NCAA Tournament resume. The Cats entered Saturday’s game in Nashville at No. 13 in the NET Rankings. They’re No. 14 today.

Because the SEC is the SEC, there are five teams from the league ahead of Kentucky. Auburn is No. 1, Tennessee is No. 4, Florida is No. 5, Alabama No. 7, and Texas A&M No. 12. Of course, Kentucky plays at Tennessee tomorrow night. The strength of the SEC is both a blessing and a curse. If the Cats could pull off a win in Knoxville — a very, very big ask — the loss in Nashville won’t matter.

Let’s talk team sheet, which the Selection Committee will use as it determines the Cats’ seed in the NCAA Tournament. Saturday’s loss takes Kentucky’s record in Quad 1 games to 6-5. The Cats are still tied for third in the country in Quad 1 wins behind Auburn (11) and Oregon (8). We’ll talk about this more in a bit but the fact that all of Kentucky’s losses are in Quad 1 is significant too. Eight of Kentucky’s remaining 12 games are Quad 1, seven in Quad 1A, considered the best of the best when it comes to NCAA Tournament resumes.

Let’s break it all down.

• Quad 1: 6-5 (Games Remaining: 8)
  • Quad 1A: 5-4
  • Quad 1B: 1-1
• Quad 2: 0-0 (Games Remaining: 3)
• Quad 3: 2-0 (Games Remaining: 1)
• Quad 4: 6-0 (Games Remaining: 0)

Quad 1: 6-5

• 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
4	02/11/2025	* Tennessee
5	01/04/2025	* Florida	W 106-100
7	02/22/2025	* @ Alabama
7	01/18/2025	* Alabama	L 97-102
12	01/14/2025	* Texas A&M	W 81-69
16	12/07/2024	* Gonzaga (Seattle)	W 90-89 (1 OT)
21	01/11/2025	* @ Mississippi State	W 95-90
22	02/04/2025	* @ Ole Miss
24	03/08/2025	* @ Missouri
25	12/14/2024	Louisville	W 93-85
29	12/21/2024	Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic)	L 65-85
30	12/03/2024	* @ Clemson	L 66-70
32	02/15/2025	* @ Texas
35	01/07/2025	* @ Georgia	L 69-82
37	01/25/2025	* @ Vanderbilt	L 69-74
47	02/26/2025	@ Oklahoma

Quad 2: 0-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
37	02/19/2025	Vanderbilt
57	02/01/2025	Arkansas
67	03/04/2025	LSU

Quad 3: 2-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
84	11/19/2024	Lipscomb	W 97-68
90	02/08/2025	South Carolina
137	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
181	11/04/2024	Wright State	W 103-62
221	12/11/2024	Colgate	W 78-67
222	12/31/2024	Brown	W 88-54
255	11/09/2024	Bucknell	W 100-72
297	11/22/2024	Jackson State	W 108-59
309	11/29/2024	Georgia State	W 105-76

Team Sheet Notes

— Sometimes I don’t understand the NET. Vanderbilt didn’t move a single spot after beating Kentucky. Even though the Dores may crack the AP Top 25 today, the ‘Dores are still No. 37 in the NET. That keeps the rematch in Lexington in Quad 2. If Vandy moves into the top 30 of the NET, it will move to Quad 1. Kentucky’s other Quad 2 games — Arkansas (NET No. 57), LSU (No. 67) — are safely within the Quad 2 margins for now. If LSU drops below No. 75, that game will move to Quad 3.

— As mentioned, all of Kentucky’s losses are in Quad 1, which is a very good thing. Losing to a good team won’t hurt you much, one benefit of playing in a loaded league; however, that makes it doubly as important to beat the teams you’re supposed to. Kentucky has three Quad 2 games left (Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and LSU, all at home) and one Quad 3 game left (South Carolina at home). The Cats cannot afford to drop any of those, starting with Saturday’s game vs. the Razorbacks. As if that game needed another storyline, right?

— On a similar note, shoutout to Brandon Ramsey, who noted that Kentucky is one of nine teams that has five-plus Quad 1 wins and zero Quad 2-4 losses. The others: Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Iowa State, Louisville, Purdue, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Good company to be in.

Teams with 5+ Quad 1 Wins and No Quad 2-4 Losses

Alabama
Auburn
Duke
Iowa State
Kentucky
Louisville
Purdue
Tennessee
Texas A&M

If you drop the threshold to 4 Quad 1 Wins you add: Florida, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Wisconsin.

— Brandon Ramsey (@BRamseyKSR) January 27, 2025

— Here are the Quad 1 records and Quad 1 games remaining for the top eight teams in the league:

• Auburn: 11-1 (9 Q1 games remaining)
• Kentucky: 6-5 (9)
• Texas A&M: 6-5 (6)
• Tennessee: 5-3 (9)
• Alabama: 5-3 (10)
• Mississippi State: 4-3 (9)
• Florida: 4-2 (8)
• Ole Miss: 4-5 (8)

The Road Ahead

Tuesday night’s game at Tennessee will be Kentucky’s seventh straight in Quad 1A. On Saturday, they will play their first game outside Quad 1 since December. While Arkansas is a step down in competition on paper, I doubt it will feel like it to most fans when the ball is tipped in Rupp Arena on Saturday night. Even with all of those emotions, Kentucky must take care of business vs. the Razorbacks.

Date	Opponent	NET Ranking	Quad
01/28/2025	@ Tennessee	4	Quad 1A
02/01/2025	Arkansas	57	Quad 2
02/04/2025	@ Ole Miss	22	Quad 1A
02/08/2025	South Carolina	90	Quad 3
02/11/2025	Tennessee	4	Quad 1A
02/15/2025	@ Texas	32	Quad 1A
02/19/2025	Vanderbilt	37	Quad 2
02/22/2025	@ Alabama	7	Quad 1A
02/26/2025	@ Oklahoma	47	Quad 1B
03/01/2025	Auburn	1	Quad 1A
03/04/2025	LSU	67	Quad 2
03/08/2025	@ Missouri	24	Quad 1A