In his first year in what is unarguably the toughest, most physical conference in college basketball, Mark Pope has become known for cutting SEC officials more slack than most of his coaching counterparts.

Time and time again, in the face of frustration from fans, journalists and even his own players, Pope has, for the most part, kept his cool with the black and white stripes. But his facial expressions tell all, and sometimes, that trademark smile fades fast when a questionable whistle blows.

On Monday’s Mark Pope show, the coach was asked about “squeaky wheels getting the grease,” in reference to coaches who chirp the officials getting a favorable whistle from them. His response should draw a sigh of relief from those who throw their hands up when the opposing team treks to the line once more.

I’ll be really honest,” he began. “Early on in our SEC run… it was unfortunate that it really did appear, like if you had a tantrum every two seconds that you kind of earned the attention of the referees, and they would actually respond. That’s how I felt.”

The Slightest Whisper

Pope then mentioned his plan coming in, which was to ignore the officials entirely. While he still views that ideal in a positive light, he didn’t deny the success that other coaches were having on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“I can be really productive to do it in a constructive way. Sometimes a whisper can be way more effective and way more moving than a tantrum,” he encouraged. “It’s just kind of picking and choosing.”

Pick your battles, Coach Pope. As long as this philosophy lasts, Kentucky could continue to get a less-than-favorable whistle against juggernaut conference opponents. Though, all the same, after an entire season enduring a controversy that seemed to only impact those watching from home, hearing Coach Pope even so much as acknowledge it is certainly a step in the right direction.

If you support Mark Pope’s positivity in one instance, you’ll have to deal with the ramifications in every facet: on the floor, off the floor, and everywhere in between. The Cats will have to win the occasional 8v5 until one side gives.

With the dust finally starting to settle on Mark Pope’s first year in the driver’s seat, Kentucky’s outlook for March Madness is beginning to take shape as Selection Sunday (March 16) closes in.

After entering the season ranked #23 in the AP poll, the ‘Cats have been in just about every possible position. From rising as far as #4 in week seven to dropping all the way back down to #19 (where they are currently), the team have been in-and-out of the “championship hopefuls” mix all season.

Big, trademark wins against teams like Duke, Tennessee (x2), Florida and Gonzaga had pundits singing the unit’s praises, while puzzling losses to Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas inspired the exact opposite sort of dialogue.

Though as confusing as the year has been on the whole, the overall consensus of the “bracketologists” seems see Kentucky between the 3-5 seed lines on that fateful day. Read below, and let us know what you make of Kentucky’s potential road to San Antonio!

Bracket Matrix: (3.21, last 3-seed)

*Combines all bracketology and averages each team’s seed.

24/7 Sports

Projection: East Region, five-seed.

Matchup: McNeese (12)

Notable teams in region: Duke (1), Alabama (2), Marquette (4), Kansas (6).

CBS Sports

Projection: Midwest Region, four-seed.

Matchup: Yale (13).

Notable teams in region: Houston (1), Tennessee (2), Wisconsin (3), Michigan (5), UCLA (8).

ESPN

Projection: South Region (Atlanta), three-seed.

Matchup: Troy (14).

Notable teams in region: Auburn (1), Michigan State (2), Clemson (4), UCLA (6).

NCAA.com

Projection: Midwest Region, four-seed.

Matchup: Akron (13).

Notable teams in region: Houston (1), Alabama (2), Wisconsin (3), Maryland (5).

Although the Wildcats were able to take a big, collective breath after Ole Miss secured them a first round bye in the SEC Tournament with a win over Tennessee, their final fate is far from decided.

As they currently stand, Kentucky is slated in the eight seed in the Southeastern Conference; just ahead of Mississippi State, and right behind Texas A&M. While UK (again, thanks to Ole Miss) is unable to fall any further than their current position no matter how their last game goes, there also exists the possibility for the ‘Cats to rise as high as seed five.

What’s more? Everything comes down to three games: Ole Miss vs. Florida, Texas A&M vs. LSU, and, of course, Kentucky vs. Missouri. Where the Wildcats end up will all depend on the mixed-and-matched outcome of these three battles.

“Worst” Case Scenario

The simplest, and objectively worst possible outcome (although maintaining a bye is still pretty sweet) would only require one game to end a certain way – that is, Kentucky falling to Mizzou. In that case, no matter how the other two games turned out, the ‘Cats would be officially locked into the eight seed in which they currently sit when things kick off in Nashville.

But if Kentucky beats Missouri? Things get a lot more interesting.

Middle Ground

Given a big blue victory on Saturday, these two scenarios feel like the most plausible and encouraging options on the spread. In addition to a Wildcats win, if A&M beats LSU (expected) and Ole Miss beats Florida (unexpected), Kentucky would rise one spot to the seventh seed.

Now, swap the Ole Miss game and give Florida the win, and suddenly, the ‘Cats rise to the sixth spot. Interestingly enough, this latter outcome seems inherently more likely than the former, given Florida’s home court advantage and LSU’s consistent in-conference struggles. Either way, these two options are firmly in reach; all Kentucky has to do to guarantee a better seed than the one they have now is win.

Wishful Thinking

In the best possible scenario, as wild as it may seem Kentucky could climb as far as the fifth seed in the SEC standings. What’s even wilder? It’s more possible than the projections may lead you to believe.

If Kentucky and Florida win (again, Florida is favored), it’d all come down to LSU finding a way to upset A&M. That seems like a pipe dream, especially after what Kentucky just did to the Tigers in Rupp, but the game takes place in Baton Rouge, and it’ll be the last one there this season.

Who knows? Maybe the seniors in purple and gold will work to play spoiler and sabotage one of the better teams in their conference; after all, late-season college basketball is known for stories like these. As unlikely as it seems, you’d be remiss to count anything out after the first day of March.

Blue Gets In

As nice as it would be to jump three spots in the conference standings headed into the tournament, Nashville will be a blue-out either way, and Kentucky will have the benefit of both a first round bye and the most fans in the building on any given night out.

To boot, the team’s coach finally takes the event as seriously as the fans who travel for it do. Mark Pope said in Thursday’s press conference, “this SEC Tournament matters.” So no matter where the Wildcats end up, rest assured that Coach Pope will have the team right where they need to be headed into the weekend.

Kentucky will look to make their first splash in the tournament in years ahead of what is sure to be a historic March… for better or, perish the thought, much worse.