ESPN Reveals Latest Bracketology Ahead of NCAA Selection Show
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has shared his latest Bracketology just hours before the official NCAA Tournament Selection Show, which will air Sunday evening.
In Lunardi’s updated March Madness projection, Kentucky (22-11, 10-8 SEC) is seeded No. 3 in the South Region (Atlanta) and will face No. 14 UNC-Wilmington in Milwaukee. To make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, the Wildcats would need to beat either No. 6 Illinois or No. 11 Utah State.
Lunardi has UK ranked as the No. 11 overall seed, one of a record-setting 13 SEC teams expected to make the NCAA Tournament, joining (1) Auburn, (1) Florida, (2) Alabama, (2) Tennessee, (4) Texas A&M, (6) Ole Miss, (7) Missouri, (9) Mississippi State, (9) Georgia, (10) Oklahoma, (10) Arkansas, and (11) Vanderbilt.
In head coach Mark Pope’s first season, Kentucky set a new school record with eight victories over teams ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press Poll, including wins over No. 15 Missouri, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 6 Florida, No. 7 Gonzaga, and No. 6 Duke.
UK is ranked No. 15 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings, a tool used for seeding the NCAA Tournament, and their 11 Quad 1 victories are tied for fourth place, behind only Auburn (16), Houston (14), and Michigan State (13).
The Wildcats achieved this despite only playing seven games at full strength this season, losing second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson (wrist) and backup point guard Kerr Kriisa (foot) to season-ending injuries, while also missing starting point guard Lamont Butler for nine games due to ankle and shoulder issues.
Butler, who played just eight minutes in Kentucky’s 85-84 victory over Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament’s second round in Nashville Thursday, was absent from UK’s 99-70 blowout loss to Alabama in Friday’s quarterfinals but is expected to be available for the NCAA Tournament.
“We got the best possible news about Lamont. He’s going to be in good shape,” Pope told Voice of the Wildcats Tom Leach before Kentucky’s loss to Alabama. “We’re going to sit him tonight just to make sure. It would probably be a stretch to play him tonight because he’s got some soreness, but it was really good news this morning. We look forward to having him as we move forward.”
Kentucky has only won one NCAA Tournament game in the last five seasons, but the last time UK had a first-year coach and the Final Four was in San Antonio, they won the national championship in 1998.
After losing all 13 scholarship players from last season’s roster to graduation, the transfer portal, or the NBA Draft, Pope’s inaugural 9-man transfer class was ranked No. 5 nationally by 247Sports, featuring No. 23 Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), No. 34 Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), No. 36 Jaxson Robinson, No. 48 Lamont Butler (San Diego State), No. 71 Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), No. 88 Amari Williams (Drexel), No. 91 Koby Brea (Dayton), No. 126 Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia), and No. 319 Ansley Almonor (Fairleigh Dickinson).
Additionally, Pope signed former BYU signee Collin Chandler, one of the highest-rated recruits in Cougars’ history, and Travis Perry, Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball, the state’s all-time leading scorer, and 4-star guard from state champion Lyon County. The Wildcats also added 4-star Trent Noah from Harlan County, a former South Carolina signee, bringing the team’s scholarship player total to 12.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air Sunday at 6 PM ET on CBS.
Can SEC Overcome Historical Struggles in NCAA Tournament?
The SEC is set to place at least 13 teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a historic first. However, the pressing question is how these teams will perform after enduring such a tough path to get to March. History hasn’t been kind to teams from the SEC, and the statistics are alarming.
The 2025 Southeastern Conference, the most challenging and deepest league in history, will likely send at least 13 of its 16 teams to the NCAA Tournament, setting a record for the sport.
Looking ahead to March Madness, the question remains: Are these teams battle-hardened and ready to thrive during the opening weekend, or have the brutal regular-season challenges left them too worn out for a deep run?
“We’ve talked about it since the beginning. It’s either going to tear you to shreds or it’s going to make you better,” said Kentucky coach Mark Pope after his team’s 99-70 loss to Alabama in the SEC quarterfinals. “If you have the fortitude and togetherness to make it, it can make you better. So that’s the challenge. Our team is going to decide which path it will take.”
This holds true for all SEC teams, as the conclusion of league play showed signs of both fatigue and resilience.
