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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 Receiving High Praise in Power Rankings, High as No. 2 According to One Analyst

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The Kentucky Wildcats are the early surprise of the college basketball season, receiving high praise after a big win over Duke.
Chet White | UK Athletics

It was different to see Kentucky ranked 23rd in the preseason AP Poll, their lowest since the 2008 season. However, a week and a half into the season, they are already climbing the rankings.

Jumping to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches poll this week, the Wildcats will take another good jump when the updated polls are released Monday, after defeating sixth-ranked Duke in the Champion’s Classic 77-72. They will likely fall in the 11-14 range.

That said, some analysts believe Kentucky is a top 10 team, including one from CBS that has them ranked as the SECOND best team in the country.

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Let’s take a look.

CBS

2. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)

It took all of three games for Mark Pope to capture a signature victory at Kentucky. UK outlasted No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic, nailing 10 3s in the win and downing Duke despite a huge game from Blue Devils freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

ESPN

8. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)
Preseason ranking: 23

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At halftime during the Champions Classic, it was fair to question whether Kentucky could consistently get points in a half-court setting against a strong opponent. Duke was keeping the Wildcats out of transition, and after an early barrage of 3s, the team’s attack had dried up. Then Mark Pope made some smart tweaks offensively, using Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison as playmakers in the middle of the floor, and Andrew Carr created matchup problems. The Wildcats answered a lot of questions with their second-half showing.


If the Wildcats are able to maintain this momentum and keep themselves high in the rankings, they will truly be one of the best stories of this college basketball season. A storied program, with a new coach and an entirely new roster.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN Anchor Discredits Kentucky After Win Over Duke, “They’ve Already Peaked”

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An ESPN anchor is discrediting Kentucky after their big win against Duke. "Where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked."
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off of a statement win against Duke. However, many of the national stories shortly after the game were about Duke and Cooper Flagg. Now one SportsCenter Host, Shae Peppler, is even discrediting the Wildcats, suggesting they’ve already peaked.

“It’s only their third game of the season,” Peppler said. “You talk about how he [Pope] totally rebuilt this roster from scratch and did it in such a short time. Now where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked, it feels like.”

To his credit, former Duke guard Jay Williams took up for the Cats quickly after they defeated his alma mater the night before. “No, no, they’re not peaking. You have a team full of veterans that know how to play.”

Mark Pope said postgame that he will be keeping the team off of social media, to prevent them from getting too high or low. This is a perfect example of why.

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In just a few weeks, the Wildcats will have another big test as they take on the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Seattle. They will look to prove themselves right, and prove the doubters wrong, again.

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Mark Pope Showed Team Past Kentucky-Duke Games Before Champion’s Classic Win, Help Them Understand the Rivalry

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Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope showed his players past Kentucky-Duke games to help them understand the rivalry and prepare for the Champion's Classic.
Dale Zanine | Imagn

The days of most college basketball players spending three to four seasons with one school are long gone. For years elite freshmen have entered the draft after one season, and now the most talented experienced players are jumping into the portal to spend a season or two at bigger schools.

It’s hard to fault players for these moves, looking to better themselves and their careers. However, it does make it difficult for them to understand what a program means to its fanbase, and the history behind them, such as long-standing rivalries.

Despite assembling a team of 13 new players, including nine transfers, Mark Pope is doing his best to make sure his players understand the deep traditions and storied history of Kentucky Basketball.

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Prior to the Wildcats’ game against Duke in the Champions Classic, he had a video made to not only help them understand, but to feel the Kentucky-Duke rivalry.

“We started with a little bit of a hype video and just gave our guys context,” Pope said in a postgame radio interview with Matt Jones. “The beginning of the video is a bunch of Jack Givens highlights about his National Championship against Duke. Then, of course, in the Spectrum with Christian Laettner. Then the Comeback Cats national championship in ’98. It just gave our guys a sense of the context they were walking into in this game. Our guys were very, very aware of what this means.”

From the reactions and celebration after the game, you can tell the players got the message and felt the accomplishment of giving Big Blue Nation that win.

“It’s special. This is special for Kentucky.”

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