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The Worst and Best Seeding Possibilities for Kentucky Five Days before Selection Sunday

Published

5 years ago

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Kentucky’s run at another SEC Tournament title starts Friday and Selection Sunday is only five days away.

Us Kentucky fans have debated seeding and stalked bracketology sites for the past several weeks along with everyone else.

Joe Lunardi said late last night on SportsCenter that Kentucky could get as high as a 2-seed (where Lunardi has Kentucky right now) and they could drop as low as a 5-seed. I heard that and I couldn’t believe it.

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I used to care a lot about where Lunardi had Kentucky, but these past few years I haven’t as much. I’ve realized that most of his stuff is click-bait and what he said last night was too. That’s absurd.

No one really knows as of right now where Kentucky will end up, which is nerve-wracking and exciting. Kentucky’s fate will really be decided by what plays out the next few days in Nashville.

Here are the worst and best seedings Kentucky could get and what needs to happen for them to get it.

Two Seed

I’ll best honest, after Kentucky lost to Tennessee, I thought a 2-seed was out the window. I was surprised that Lunardi had Kentucky as one just days after that loss. In Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, he currently has Kentucky as a 2-seed in the East region with Dayton a the 1-seed, Villanova as the 3-seed, and Maryland as the 4-seed.

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Sign me up for that all day long.

I still don’t think the committee will give Kentucky a 2-seed by just winning the SEC Tournament. The past has proven that the Sunday SEC Championship game doesn’t matter, unless it hurts Kentucky.

Winning it would definitely help boost Kentucky’s resume, but I still think the Cats would need some help from the teams around them to get one.

Three Seed

I think a 3-seed is pretty likely if the Cats win the SEC Tournament. I wouldn’t be shocked if the committee has Kentucky as one right now. The three line right now from Lunardi is Duke, Villanova, Michigan State, and Seton Hall. I think if Duke wins the ACC Tournament, they get a 2-seed because that might be the strongest conference tournament this year.

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If Kentucky wants a 3-seed I think all they have to do is win the SEC Tournament. Like I said, I think the committee has them as a 3-seed right now and they can’t give them a reason to drop them.

Four Seed

As crazy as it might sound, a 4-seed is still very likely for Kentucky. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, it all just depends on the draw they get. I’m afraid that if the Cats get a 4-seed, they’ll get Kansas as the 1-seed. They don’t scare me, I just don’t care to play the best team in the country in the Sweet 16. That seems more like a Elite 8 or Final Four Matchup.

Kentucky would have to lose in the finals of the SEC Tournament to drop to a 4-seed. Like I said above, the SEC Tournament doesn’t matter for Kentucky unless it can hurt them. If they win they stay, if they lose, they drop.

Five Seed

I don’t think a 5-seed is going to happen. Kentucky hasn’t been that low for awhile and I cannot imagine they drop that far by just losing one game.

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However, if they were to get a 5-seed, it would be because they lost Friday. I don’t see them losing in the semifinals and dropping that far. It’s unlikely, but it could happen.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Jackson State: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

Published

9 hours ago

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November 22, 2024

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Kentucky players encouraging each other at Rupp Arena.
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.

To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.

Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.

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Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.

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Ball Movement

Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.

“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.

While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.

Keep JSU off the Free-Throw Line

Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.

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Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs

  • 7.5 PPG
  • 4.8
  • Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection

G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs

  • 15.0 PPG
  • 3.8 RPG
  • 44.4% 3P

F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs

  • 10.8 PPG
  • 5.8 RPG
  • 31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Jackson State Tigers

Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | JSU
Stats to Know: UK | JSU
KenPom: UK | JSU
Team Sheet: UK | JSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).

Predictions: KenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!

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Men's Basketball

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

Published

4 days ago

on

November 18, 2024

By

Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

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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Men's Basketball

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

Published

6 days ago

on

November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
IMAGN

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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