Kentucky rises to No. 4 in new NET rankings

As we head into the postseason, Kentucky continues to build on their already-impressive resume.

Although the win over Florida only counted as a Quadrant II victory, the Cats still sit third in the country with 10 Quadrant I wins. Michigan State and Virginia are the only teams ahead of UK as they are tied with the most at 11.

Here’s a refresher on how each Quadrant is broken down using NET:

• Quadrant 1: Home Game 1-30; Neutral Site 1-50; Away Game 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home Game 31-75; Neutral Site 51-100; Away Game 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home Game 76-160; Neutral Site 101-200; Away Game 136-240
• Quadrant 4: Home Game 161-plus; Neutral Site 201-plus; Away Game 241-plus

The win over the 33rd-ranked Gators wasn’t a Q1 win, but it still looks good nonetheless. And with that, UK moves up to No. 4 in the new NET rankings, finally surpassing Tennessee (No. 5) after they fell on the road against Auburn.

The Cats will have even more chances to pick up some some resume boosters in the SEC Tournament. On Friday, Kentucky will play the winner of Alabama and Ole Miss. While Alabama would be a QII opponent (the Tide is currently ranked No. 58 in NET), the Rebels are No. 34, which would make a matchup with them a Quad I game.

Assuming Tennessee takes care of business, the Cats can pick up another Q1 win with a victory over the Vols Saturday. This would likely solidify Kentucky as No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well. However, even if Tennessee was to lose to say, Mississippi State, the Bulldogs would still give the Cats a chance at a Q1 victory, since they’re ranked No. 21 in the NET rankings.

Lastly, it’s far from certain that LSU will make it out of their bracket alive. The indefinite suspensions of Will Wade and Ja’Vonte Smart put a wrinkle into things, especially when considering they play the winner of Arkansas and Florida on Friday. Arkansas already beat the Tigers once and lost to them overtime. LSU found the same outcome against the Gators. The Tigers would be another Q1 game, but even if LSU doesn’t come out of the top bracket, Auburn (No. 17) and Florida are both Q1 opponents.

So, Kentucky might be able to pull together three more Q1 wins before it’s all said and done. Oh, and not to mention, Missouri is currently ranked No. 77 in the NET rankings. If Mizzou is able to beat Georgia Wednesday night, they might be able to move back in the top 75, which would give UK another Q1 win, since they beat the Tigers on the road.

The Cats could end the season with as many as 15 Quadrant 1 wins. That’s almost half the games they’ve played, and it would make it impossible to keep Kentucky from getting a one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

You can view the entire NET rankings here.