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Pre-SEC Tournament Bracketology Update

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

We are just three days away from Selection Sunday and the start of one the best events in all of sports, the NCAA Tournament. For more than half of the season, many believed that Kentucky would miss the ‘Big Dance’. However, they have turned their season around and firmly locked themselves into the field.

Of course, before the committee announces the brackets on Sunday, Kentucky will compete in the SEC Tournament. Over the next three days, the Wildcats will have an opportunity to add to their resume.

In line with their inconsistent season, Kentucky’s projections have varied from a 5-seed d to a 7-seed, across the different regions. With that said, let’s take a look at the latest.

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CBS Sports

Projection: South Region, 7-Seed

Summary: In the first round, Kentucky would be matched up with West Virginia, the school that Oscar Tshiebwe transferred from. Then following that, they could face Kansas State, a team that put them out of the tournament in 2018.

As for the top two seeds, they are both opponents that Kentucky lost to earlier in the season in Alabama and Gonzaga. If Kentucky could make it to the second weekend, they would be playing practically a home game in Louisville.

ESPN

Projection: Midwest Region, 6-Seed

Summary: This is one of the more favorable draws that Kentucky has received in regard to the first weekend. However, this is a very balanced bracket that could prove to have a lot of upsets. Looking as far down as NC State, they have one of the best backcourts in the country with Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith.

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NCAA.com

Projection: West Region, 6-Seed

Summary: Sign me up for this bracket now! This is by far the easiest draw that has been projected for Kentucky thus far.

While they will have a Houston in the bracket as the 1-seed, the 2-seed is a UCLA team that has lost Jalen Clark, one of their top scoring options and best perimeter defender. The biggest negative would obviously be the location as the regional would be played in Las Vegas, but I would expect Kentucky fans to still have a great crowd.


With that being said, what region would you like to see Kentucky play in, and what opponents?

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
ESPN

Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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