Wildcats Thought They Were in BYU’s Bracket
Imagine the scenario: Mark Pope facing his old team in the NCAA Tournament.
The Kentucky Wildcats, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, initially thought they were placed in the same bracket as the No. 6 seed BYU Cougars, which would have set up a potential second-round game against Pope’s former team.
Pope had coached BYU for five seasons before returning to Kentucky.
Here’s how people reacted when the bracket was revealed, as Wisconsin ended up taking the No. 3 seed instead.
Like Dylan, I also expected Kentucky’s name to appear when CBS’ Adam Zucker mentioned “a No. 3 seed known for offense.” BYU would have presented a tough second-round challenge for Kentucky, and the longer road trip to Denver would have added more complications.
However, Kentucky will now travel to Milwaukee for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will face either No. 6 seed Illinois, No. 11 seed Texas, or No. 11 seed Xavier in the second round (Texas and Xavier are playing in the First Four to decide who faces Illinois).
Of course, Kentucky must first win its opening game against No. 14 seed Troy on Friday in Milwaukee, where they are heavily favored.
Kentucky, though, got what appears to be a favorable draw. A victory over Troy would set them up for a manageable second-round matchup, with the possibility of facing No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis. Kentucky defeated Tennessee twice during the regular season.
