Kentucky is playing for No. 1 seed against Tennessee

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Following Oklahoma’s upset of Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament, a door was opened for Kentucky to claim at No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. The Wildcats now appear one victory away from securing that spot on the top seed line for the first time since 2015.

On Saturday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi did a hit on College GameDay and confirmed that the Wildcats will grab a top seed with a win over Tennessee on Saturday in the SEC Tournament.

“I think if the Wildcats win today — in the SEC semifinal — they will be a one-seed tomorrow night,” said Joey Brackets. “Part of that is they will have earned it. The other part is it’s hard for the committee to do as much adjusting as we would like them to that late in the process. In fairness, is the cake already baked as Scott Van Pelt likes to say? Most of the time it is by this stage of the game.

“Deep in my gut, I think if Kentucky wins, they are going to be on the top line headed for the East and Philadelphia.”

The top goal remains the same for the Wildcats. Kentucky is attempting to beat Tennessee to claim the season series with the Vols and to play in the SEC title game for the first time since 2018. But now the stakes are higher as a resume battle could be brewing on the top line.

Three teams behind Gonzaga

Earlier this week, Gonzaga locked up the No. 1 overall seed with a West Coast Conference Tournament title. Mark Few again has another juggernaut in Spokane. However, the next three teams were all in flux. We now appear to have four candidates.

In Saturday’s nightcap, Arizona will face UCLA in the Pac-12 title game out in Las Vegas. If the Wildcats take care of business, Tommy Lloyd will lead the program to the No. 2 overall seed and the San Antonio region in his first year.

Over in Kansas City, Kansas will face Texas Tech in the Big 12 title on Saturday evening. A win will give the Jayhawks a regular-season and postseason title in the league. Bill Self’s squad has the inside track to a No. 1 seed.

Down south, Kentucky will wear road jerseys thanks to losing the season tiebreaker to Tennessee. A Quad 1A win will give the Wildcats a place inside the top-four.

Not only will we know if UK claims a No. 1 seed after Saturday, but we could also know the landing place. When comparing resumes and considering the head-to-head, Kentucky should have enough ammo to leapfrog the Jayhawks on the seed line.

Kansas Jayhawks

Record: 26-6 (14-4)
NET: 7
Predictive metrics: 4 (Sagarin), 6 (KenPom), 11 (BPI)
Quad 1 record: 11-5
Quad 1A record: 3-4
Quad 3/Quad 4 losses: 0
Strength of schedule: 10
Strength of record: 1
Best win: Baylor (home)

Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 26-6 (14-4)
NET: 4
Predictive metrics: 2 (KenPom), 3 (BPI), 5 (Sagarin)
Quad 1 record: 9-6
Quad 1A record: 3-5
Quad3/Quad 4 losses: 0
Strength of schedule: 23
Strength of record: 3
Best win: Kansas (away)

Only time will tell as Selection Sunday nears. One thing is clear, having the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday doesn’t help the league. A potential Quad 1A win for Arkansas/Kentucky/Tennessee/Texas A&M could just be ignored because the committee doesn’t take the time to fully consider those results in the bracket process.