Kentucky jumps up two spots in NET rankings

Kentucky basketball once again responded to adversity. After a surprising Senior Day loss to Vanderbilt, the Cats hit the road on Saturday and picked up a Quad 1A win against Arkansas in front of a rowdy Bud Walton Arena crowd. Things are moving in the right direction heading into the SEC Tournament.

For the second year in a row, Kentucky will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament as the SEC returns to Nashville for a full-attendance conference tournament for the first time since 2019. The Cats will be looking to make a deep run and solidifying their NCAA Tournament resume.

The win over Arkansas allowed John Calipari’s squad to make another jump in the NET rankings. In Sunday’s update, Kentucky moved up two spots to No. 20 overall. This was the spot that the Cats held at this time last week after the Auburn beatdown at Rupp Arena.

Despite a fourth home loss suffered this week, things are remaining steady for the Wildcats.

At 21-10 (12-6), Kentucky currently owns a 6-7 Quad 1 record with three Quad 1A wins. The Wildcats are undefeated in Quadrant 2 (6-0). There will likely be another Quad 2 opportunity on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

Vanderbilt (18-13, 11-7) won 8 of 9 SEC games to end the season and holds the No. 6 seed entering the SEC Tournament. As long as the Commodores aren’t upset on Thursday night, the Wildcats will get a chance at a rematch to earn another Quad 2 win on Friday. If chalk holds, UK would have a Quad 1 opportunity on Saturday afternoon against Texas A&M.

Over at Bracket Matrix, Kentucky is a consensus No. 6 seed entering conference tournament week. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has UK as a No. 7 seed. The Cats might have a chance to get to the 5-line with a strong run in Nashville.