It was a very good night for Kentucky's NCAA Tournament resume
Kentucky went to Starkville with only one Quad 1 win. Thanks to the victory over Mississippi State and some help from Texas A&M, they’ll leave town with three.
Kentucky’s 71-68 win over Mississippi State sits safely in Quad 1 since it took place on the Bulldogs’ court. Shortly after the conclusion of that game, Texas A&M knocked off Arkansas 62-56. The Aggies are currently No. 35 in the NET rankings; with the win over Arkansas (NET No. 20), they’ll likely climb into the NET Top 30, which would bump Kentucky’s 76-67 win over the Aggies in Rupp from Quad 2 to Quad 1. Going from one Quad 1 win to three in the span of a couple of hours is huge news for a team that is fighting for its NCAA Tournament life.
Also helping matters: wins by Tennessee and Florida, Kentucky’s next two opponents. The Cats already have wins over the Vols and Gators this season. Tennessee’s 68-59 takedown of No. 1 Alabama should ensure the value of the Cats’ victory in Knoxville and make a potential win over the Vols in Rupp on Saturday even bigger.
Similarly, Florida’s win over Ole Miss should keep next week’s game in Gainesville stays in Quad 1. The Gators’ win over the Rebels came at an expense. Florida big man Colin Castleton broke his hand and is out for the remainder of the season. Castleton dominated Oscar Tshiebwe in Rupp Arena earlier this month, so that’s good news for the Cats when they go to Gainesville.
Beat both Tennessee and Florida and Kentucky would go from one Quad 1 win to FIVE in the span of one week. Even winning one of the two will give Kentucky’s resume a boost heading into the final stretch. Four of the Cats’ five remaining games are Quad 1; the opportunities are there for the taking. Getting Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick healthy would help.
“You’ve got people trying to talk us out of this tournament,” John Calipari said after the game. “You can’t talk us out. Part of it is who wants to play my team? Who wants to play us? Remember last time [2014], we were an eight-seed, nine-seed. Who would play us? So, what we’ve got to do is just take care of business. Do what we’ve got to do. Do this together and get healthy.”
Here’s a look at Kentucky’s remaining schedule and where the games currently rank on the team sheet. Keep in mind the NET rankings will change in the morning. We need Auburn to stay in the NET Top 30.
| Date | Opponent | NET Ranking | Quad |
| 02/18/2023 | Tennessee | 3 | Quad 1 |
| 02/22/2023 | @ Florida | 52 | Quad 1 |
| 02/25/2023 | Auburn | 27 | Quad 1 |
| 03/04/2023 | @ Arkansas | 20 | Quad 1 |
| 03/01/2023 | Vanderbilt | 89 | Quad 3 |
Kentucky tied for fourth in SEC Standings
With last night’s and tonight’s results, Kentucky is now tied with Auburn for fourth in the SEC standings. The two teams play on Feb. 25, but if the tournament started today, Kentucky would own the tiebreaker thanks to its win over Texas A&M. Getting the double-bye would be huge for this team’s chances in Nashville.
| TEAM | CONFERENCE | GAMES BACK | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12-1 | – | 22-4 |
| Texas A&M | 11-2 | 1 | 19-7 |
| Tennessee | 9-4 | 3 | 20-6 |
| Auburn | 8-5 | 4 | 18-8 |
| Kentucky | 8-5 | 4 | 17-9 |
| Missouri | 7-6 | 5 | 19-7 |
| Vanderbilt | 7-6 | 5 | 14-12 |
| Florida | 7-6 | 5 | 14-12 |
| Arkansas | 6-7 | 6 | 17-9 |
| Georgia | 6-7 | 6 | 16-10 |
| Mississippi State | 5-8 | 7 | 17-9 |
| Ole Miss | 2-11 | 10 | 10-16 |
| South Carolina | 2-11 | 10 | 9-17 |
| LSU | 1-12 | 11 | 12-14 |
Just keep winning.
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