Last look at Kentucky WBB's NCAA Tournament projections

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show is set for Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. With hours to go until Kentucky Women’s Basketball discovers their March Madness path, there’s no better time to examine the tournament projections one last time.

We’re dancing, only question is where?

Tune in tonight, #BBN!#CommitToIt x #SECChamps pic.twitter.com/1ca8abjPJA

— Kentucky WBB (@KentuckyWBB) March 13, 2022

One thing is certain: Kentucky has a spot. After winning the SEC Tournament on March 6, the ‘Cats punched their ticket to the big dance. Moreover, they proved they could boogie. In their historic tournament run, the ‘Cats defeated No. 1 South Carolina, No. 9 LSU and No. 19 Tennessee.

Where Kentucky WBB currently stands

Consequently, Kentucky moved forward to No. 16 in the AP Top 25, despite not receiving a single vote the week before the SEC Tournament. Additionally, the ‘Cats jumped to No. 34 in the NET Rankings. Following the team’s win over South Carolina in the SEC championship, head coach Kyra Elzy discussed the team’s tournament spot.

“We have our ticket punched. We are going,” Elzy said. “We do have to have some recovery, rest, but we always do that coming off the SEC tournament, try to get people healthy.”

The projections

In his latest projections, ESPN’s Charlie Creme has Kentucky as a No. 7 seed facing No. 10 seed South Dakota in the tournament’s first round. If Kentucky wins, they’ll likely face No. 2 seed Texas. The Longhorns are the No. 7 team in the nation and have massive wins over teams such as No. 2 Stanford and No. 10 Iowa State.

Kentucky’s first two games would be in enemy territory. With Texas as the No. 2 seed, the ‘Cats would head down to Austin, Texas, to begin their March campaign. To top it off, Creme has the ‘Cats in the same region as No. 2 Stanford.

Kentucky WBB’s tournament history

Although Kentucky is a veteran-heavy squad, few players have late-March experience. Kentucky’s superstar Rhyne Howard has never made it to the Sweet 16. The players aren’t the only ones without tournament experience.

Elzy has only had one trial run as head coach in March Madness, and it didn’t necessarily go according to plan. In 2021, No. 4 seed Kentucky narrowly defeated Idaho State University in the first round. The team followed this win with a 86-72 loss to five-seeded Iowa.

Nonetheless, with more momentum than ever, Kentucky expects things to be different this time. Right now, Elzy is focused on rest. After tonight, the ‘Cats will be focused on whatever opponents lie ahead of them.