March Madness projections: What seed is Kentucky basketball for 2025 NCAA Tournament?

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LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball had only one game last week. One that didn’t go its way: UK lost, 74-69, at Vanderbilt.

But the setback did little to alter the Wildcats’ seeding in recent NCAA Tournament projections.

As of Jan. 27, Bracket Matrix projected Kentucky’s average seed as 2.83, appearing in all 80 of its brackets. That’s only a slight drop from Jan. 21, when Bracket Matrix listed UK coach Mark Pope’s squad with an average seed of 2.51.

The reason for the Wildcats’ (14-5, 3-3 SEC) stout projected seed is their success in high-level games this season. They’re 6-5 in the ultra-important Quad 1 contests, the matchups NCAA selection committee members heavily consider when they start filling out the bracket on Selection Sunday. Kentucky’s six Quad 1 victories are tied with Texas A&M and Iowa State for third most in the country entering Monday; Auburn (11) and Oregon (seven) are first and second in that category.

Bracketologists.com, which bases its bracket solely on NET rankings, listed the Wildcats as a 4-seed, facing 13-seed Arkansas State in the first round. BracketWAG.com listed Kentucky as the No. 2 seed in the West Region, with No. 15 seed Wisconsin Milwaukee the first-round foe.

Here’s a look at Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament résumé as of Monday evening, as well as projections from a variety of national outlets:

Kentucky basketball’s resume, NET ranking

Vanderbilt Commodores guard Chris Manon (30) pressures Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) on his shot during their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

NET ranking: 14

KenPom ranking: 22

Quad 1 record: 6-5

Quad 2 record: 0-0

Quad 3 record: 2-0

Quad 4 record: 6-0

Where ESPN projects Kentucky basketball in NCAA Tournament

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released his latest update Jan. 25, the day before Kentucky’s setback at Vandy. At the time, Lunardi listed UK as the No. 3 seed in the South Region, traveling to Wichita, Kansas, for a matchup with No. 14 seed Northern…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/march-madness-projections-seed-kentucky-101550026.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2025-01-28 10:15:00

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