Kentucky's return to the NCAA Tournament is on track with two regular season games and the SEC Tournament remaining. Heading into the game against Vanderbilt, the Cats are trending as a No. 4 seed in Bracketology, and a strong performance could put a No. 3 seed within range.
The latest NCAA Tournament predictions show a common path for Kentucky. Most outlets have the Cats as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, with No. 1 seed Purdue as a potential Sweet 16 opponent. Kentucky freshman vs. Zack Eadie In Detroit? Lexington is just a little farther from the Motor City than West Lafayette, so I can see Blue getting on board.
Here's an overview of the latest in Bracketology, starting with Joey Brackets himself.
ESPN: 4th Seed – Midwest Region
Joe Lunardi moved Kentucky to the No. 4 seed line over the weekend. In today's bracket update, the Cats are in the Midwest, playing their opener in Brooklyn. To get to Detroit, Kentucky will need to defeat No. 13 Appalachian State University, the winner of No. 5 Clemson University and No. 12 Richmond University. Detroit has a Sweet 16 game against No. 1 seed Purdue. Second-seeded Marquette and third-seeded Baylor are in last place in this lottery.
Kentucky sits high on Lunardi's list at the No. 4 seed, and could advance with one more win in Quad 1 (Knoxville, Tennessee, among several SEC Tournament matchups). such as one).
USA Today: 4th Seed – Midwest Region
USA Today's trio of Paul Meyerberg, Eric Smith and Eddie Timanas also has the Cats as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, with No. 1 seed Purdue. Under this hypothesis, the Cats could play an opening-round game in Spokane and a second-round game against BYU, coached by former Cat Mark Pope.
Here are the teams around Kentucky in the USA Today draw:
- 3rd seed: Alabama, Baylor, Duke, Creighton
- 4th seed: San Diego State, Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas State
- 5th seed: St. Mary's, Brigham Young, Auburn, Utah State
Bracket Building: 4th Seed – Midwest Region
In Brackettville's latest update, Kentucky is in the Midwest region. Purdue University is the No. 1 seed, Baylor University is the No. 2 seed, and Marquette University is the No. 3 seed. The Cats are the No. 4 seed on Bracketville's seeding list, behind Creighton.
- Type 3: Marquette, Kansas, Duke, Creighton.
- Type 4: Kentucky, Alabama, San Diego, Illinois
- Type 5: Auburn, BYU, South Carolina, Washington State
Andy Katz: 4th Seed – Midwest Region
Andy Katz also has the Cats in the Midwest, potentially facing No. 5 seed Clemson in the second round. Kentucky is No. 15 on the overall seed list, making it the third No. 4 seed behind Illinois and Alabama.
Mike DeCourcy: 4th Seed – South Region
In the latest update on FOX Sports, Mike DeCourcy placed Kentucky in the South Region along with No. 1 seed Houston. Second-seeded Marquette and third-seeded Duke are in the bottom half of this lottery.
CBS Sports: 5th Seed – West Division
Of all the national media outlets, Jerry Palm has the lowest rating for the Cats. In yesterday's update, Kentucky is his lowest No. 5 seed, just one spot off the No. 6 seed line. This moves them into the West Division, where they could face No. 1 Tennessee in the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.
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