Kentucky's resume compared to other potential No. 9, No. 10 seeds

What a difference a week makes. This time last week, Kentucky only had one Quad 1 win and was trending out of the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Cats have FOUR Quad 1 wins and are poised to pick up a few more as we head down the home stretch of the season. With the wins over Mississippi State and Tennessee, Kentucky played itself back into the tournament field and barring a collapse, will avoid the play-in game. Now, instead of just hoping the Cats make it in, we can start talking about potential seeds.

With just under three weeks until Selection Sunday, let’s take a closer look at Kentucky’s team sheet, which the Selection Committee will use as they determine the Cats’ bid and seed. The committee breaks Quads 1 and 2 into two parts to further categorize wins and losses. Quad 1A wins are obviously huge, and now, Kentucky has two and could add another in the regular-season finale at Arkansas.

• Quad 1: 4-7 (3 games remaining)
  • Quad 1A: 2-4 (1 game remaining)
  • Quad 1B: 2-3 (2 games remaining)
• Quad 2: 5-1 (0 games remaining)
  • Quad 2A: 3-0 (0 games remaining)
  • Quad 2B: 2-1 (0 games remaining)
• Quad 3: 3-0 (1 game remaining)
• Quad 4: 6-1 (0 games remaining)

Remember that the NET rankings update daily and are only locked in on the morning of Selection Sunday. So, what is considered a Quad 1 win today may not be on March 12.

Quad 1: 4-7

Quad 1A: Home: 1-15, Neutral: 1-25, Away: 1-40

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
2	01/07/2023	at Alabama	L 52-78
3	01/14/2023	at Tennessee	W 63-56
3	02/18/2023	Tennessee	W 66-54
4	12/17/2022	UCLA (CBS Sports Classic)	L 53-63
6	01/28/2023	Kansas	L 68-77
10	11/20/2022	at Gonzaga	L 72-88
19	03/04/2023	at Arkansas

Quad 1B: Home: 16-30, Neutral: 26-50, Away: 41-75

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
19	02/07/2023	Arkansas	L 73-88
28	01/21/2023	Texas A&M	W 76-67
30	02/25/2023	Auburn
40	11/15/2022	Michigan St. (Champions Classic)	L 77-86 (2 OT)
43	02/15/2023	at Mississippi St.	W 71-68
51	12/28/2022	at Missouri	L 75-89
53	02/22/2023	at Florida

Quad 2: 5-1

Quad 2A: Home: 31-55, Neutral: 51-75, Away: 76-100

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
53	02/04/2023	Florida	W 72-67
65	12/04/2022	Michigan (London Showcase)	W 73-69
88	01/24/2023	at Vanderbilt	W 69-53

Quad 2B: Home: 56-75, Neutral: 76-100, Away: 101-135

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
69	12/10/2022	Yale	W 69-59
129	01/31/2023	at Ole Miss	W 75-66
131	02/11/2023	at Georgia	L 68-75

Quad 3: 3-0

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

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
88	03/01/2023	Vanderbilt
110	11/11/2022	Duquesne	W 77-52
131	01/17/2023	Georgia	W 85-71
158	01/03/2023	LSU	W 74-71

Quad 4: 6-1

Home: 161-357, Neutral: 201-357, Away: 241-357

NET Ranking	Date	Opponent	Result
229	11/07/2022	Howard	W 95-63
242	01/10/2023	South Carolina	L 68-71
248	11/23/2022	North Florida	W 96-56
261	11/29/2022	Bellarmine	W 60-41
308	12/31/2022	Louisville	W 86-63
343	11/17/2022	South Carolina St.	W 106-63
359	12/21/2022	Florida A&M	W 88-68

A few team sheet notes…

— As you likely saw yesterday, Texas A&M is up to No. 28 in the NET, which bumps Kentucky’s win over the Aggies from last month into Quad 1. Hence, how Kentucky picked up three Quad 1 wins in a week.

— Auburn is No. 30 in the NET, putting the game vs. the Tigers in Rupp on Saturday in Quad 1 for now. If the Tigers drop even one spot in the rankings, that game will be back in Quad 2. Auburn hosts Ole Miss on Wednesday night, plays back-to-back road games at Kentucky and Alabama, and hosts Tennessee to end the regular season.

— Georgia is No. 131 in the NET. If the Bulldogs fall below No. 135, the loss in Athens will drop to Quad 3, which would be bad. Quad 3 and 4 losses are big factors on Selection Sunday.

— Vanderbilt has won five straight and is up to No. 88 in the NET. If they rise into the NET Top 75, Kentucky’s win in Nashville will move to Quad 1. The Cats host the Commodores in Rupp a week from Wednesday, a Quad 3 game that suddenly feels huge.

— Colin Castleton being out for the season obviously helps Kentucky’s chances of picking up a Quad 1 win in Gainesville Wednesday night.

Comparing Kentucky’s Resume to Projected No. 9, 10-seeds

Kentucky is projected to be a No. 10 or 11 seed (with a bye) right now. With three Quad 1 games remaining and potential Quad 1 matchups in the SEC Tournament, the Cats can improve their resume even more before Selection Sunday. Here are the resumes of some teams around Kentucky on the seed list and how their resumes compare to the Cats’.

The Road Ahead

Here’s where each remaining game sits on the team sheet according to the current NET rankings. This week, Kentucky can pick up two Quad 1 wins at Florida and vs. Auburn. As mentioned, if the Tigers fall out of the NET Top 30, that game will move to Quad 2.

Date	Opponent	NET Ranking	Quad
02/22/2023	at Florida	53	Quad 1B
02/25/2023	Auburn	30	Quad 1B
03/01/2023	Vanderbilt	88	Quad 3
03/04/2023	at Arkansas	19	Quad 1A