Strength of schedule is set to take big jump forward for Kentucky
Kentucky did not play a very challenging non-conference slate. John Calipari’s team was not challenged much for the first couple of months of the season.
However, that scheduling process can be a smart one if league play is challenging. Thanks to their now being 18 games in SEC play, there are more swings at the plate against top competition for programs around the league.
That is very good news for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Heading into Wednesday’s tilt against Texas A&M at Reed Arena, the Wildcats have played in 17 games, but just four of those contests have been considered Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 2 games. A key part of the NET metric that helps determine the NCAA Tournament seeding, the Wildcats just don’t have much there against teams in the same ballpark.
That is about to change.
According to the current NET rankings, Kentucky has nine games remaining that will count as Quadrant 1 opportunities. Elsewhere, the Wildcats have three Quadrant 2 games and two Quadrant 3 games. UK has a backloaded schedule.
Kentucky jumped to No. 12 in the AP poll this week after the impressive throttling of Tennessee but is thought of higher in other metrics. At KenPom, the Wildcats are up to No. 5 overall trailing only Gonzaga, Baylor, Villanova, and Purdue. Kentucky has looked like a potential one-seed with every win coming by double-digits, but the resume does not say that.
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Per Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projection, the Wildcats have bumped up to the No. 3 seed line and sit at No. 10 overall. That is a good place to be, but both the advanced data and eye test tells us Calipari’s 13th team in Lexington is better than that.
With a ton of quality games to close out the season, Kentucky will have the chance to make some noise and beef up that tournament resume. The show continues on Wednesday night against a sneaky Texas A&M squad before road trips to top-10 Auburn and Kansas to round out the month.
The Wildcats look like a national title contender. Now the team must put the wins on the resume to prove that this group has the goods.
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