Bracket Thoughts: Kentucky has multiple Quadrant 1 games remaining
On Tuesday night, Kentucky was handled by Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena and now owns a 21-5 record with just five games remaining in the regular season. The Wildcats are now considered a 2-seed by most bracketologists and have a 5-5 record in Quadrant 1 games.
Yet, there is still time to improve that resume. With Selection Sunday quickly approaching, KSR is checking where things stand with the NCAA Tournament field starting to solidify.
Kentucky still has resume-boosting opportunities
To this point in the season, Kentucky has played just 10 Quadrant 1 games. In those matchups, the Wildcats own a .500 record. The Wildcats have blowout wins over both Kansas and Tennessee who both check into the top-10 in NET. However, there are road losses to Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee to go along with a neutral floor loss to Duke.
Yet, Kentucky will have a chance to close very strong.
The next three games for the Wildcats fall into Quadrant 1 territory with consecutive home games against Alabama and LSU before hitting the road to face Arkansas. On Senior Day, Ole Miss will be a Quadrant 3 opportunity, but a road trip to Florida to end the year also falls into Quadrant 1.
Baylor currently leads college basketball with nine Quadrant 1 wins. Alabama and Auburn lead the SEC with seven Quadrant 1 wins. The Wildcats will have a hard time catching the Bears but could easily reach the top of the SEC thanks to a strong schedule to close the season.
Due to this, Kentucky has a very high floor. As long as the Wildcats avoid a home loss to Ole Miss and don’t drop every other game, a No. 2 seed feels like the floor, and a No. 1 seed is a very achievable goal.
Regardless, Kentucky should be in a good spot when Selection Sunday rolls around.
Loaded Mountain West
For those not paying attention, the Mountain West has made a serious case at being a top-six conference in college basketball this season. As of right now, it is hard to clearly state that either the ACC or Pac-12 is better. Some high-level hoops are being played away from the spotlight.
Colorado State is currently 20-3 and up to No. 35 in KenPom. Head coach Niko Medved has an All-American candidate in jumbo wing David Roddy as the Rams sit at No. 26 in NET and currently have a legit shot at a No. 7 seed.
Wyoming is also having a crazy good season under second-year head coach Jeff Linder. The Cowboys are 21-4 with a top-40 ranking in both KenPom and NET. Boise State is also firmly in the mix as the Broncos are 20-6 and in the top-30 of both KenPom and NET.
Meanwhile, San Diego State is currently among a handful of teams competing for one of the last four spots to get into the field of 68. The Mountain West has been a very fun league and could put on a show when their conference tournament arrives.
In the ACC, Duke is a lock, but there are doubts about the rest of the league. Miami and Notre Dame must avoid bad losses down the stretch. Wake Forest still needs at least one more high-quality win to feel good about an at-large bid. An awful home loss to Pittsburgh now puts North Carolina in some significant trouble.
The Mountain West getting more bids than the ACC is certainly on the table.
Tennessee quietly has a great resume
Tennessee is just 18-6 and is currently ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25. The Vols are excellent on defense, but for most of the year, Rick Barnes has had an offense that has labored to score the basketball. Therefore, folks haven’t talked about the Big Orange being a true threat in March.
That likely needs to change.
Tennessee is currently up to No. 9 in NET and No. 9 at KenPom. The Vols ranks No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency and is now inside the top-30 on offense. With home wins over Arizona and Kentucky, the Vols have two victories as good as anyone with zero bad losses on the resume. Riding an eight-game SEC winning streak, Tennessee might be approaching top-five good territory.
An injury to big man Olivier Nkamhoua has forced Barnes to go small, and that has benefitted this team. Tennessee is now playing three point guards at the same time with versatile Josiah-Jordan James as a small-ball four. Meanwhile, John Fulkerson gives some much-needed offensive spacing as a mid-post big that can hit mid-range jumpers or attack off the bounce.
The Vols do a great job forcing turnovers on defense and their spacing on offense combined with dribble creation from freshmen Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler is starting to give some defenses some major issues. Don’t be surprised if this team continues to gobble up wins down the stretch.
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