Kentucky
SEC Tournament Scenarios: Kentucky gets help from Vanderbilt
As expected, Kentucky lost to Alabama last night, but the Cats did get some help in the SEC Tournament seeding race. Vanderbilt’s win over Ole Miss and Oklahoma’s win over Mississippi State kept Kentucky within striking distance of the Rebels and Bulldogs in the standings, which could be the difference between playing on Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville.
With four games left in the regular season, Ole Miss is No. 7 in the standings at 8-6, followed by Kentucky and Mississippi State at 7-7. The Cats have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bulldogs thanks to the win in Starkville. That means if the SEC Tournament started today, Kentucky would be the No. 8 seed, playing the first game on Thursday. As we head into the final stretch, the Mississippi teams could have a huge impact on what happens.
Before we get into the projections, here’s a closer look at the current standings, and each team’s remaining games. Auburn remains in the driver’s seat to win the SEC regular season title. The Tigers come to Lexington on Saturday.
Current Standings – Feb. 23
| RANK | TEAM | CONFERENCE | GAMES BACK | OVERALL | REMAINING |
| 1 | Auburn | 13-1 | – | 25-2 | OM, @UK, @TAMU, AL |
| 2 | Florida | 11-3 | 2 | 24-3 | @GA, TAMU, @AL, OM |
| 3 | Alabama | 11-3 | 2 | 22-5 | MSU, @TN, FL, @AU |
| 4 | Tennessee | 9-5 | 4 | 22-5 | @LSU, AL, @OM, SC |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 9-5 | 4 | 20-7 | VU, @FL, AU, @LSU |
| 6 | Missouri | 9-5 | 4 | 20-7 | SC, @VU, @OK, UK |
| 7 | Ole Miss | 8-6 | 5 | 19-8 | @AU, OK, TN, @FL |
| 8 | Kentucky | 7-7 | 6 | 18-9 | @OK, AU, LSU, @MZ |
| 9 | Mississippi State | 7-7 | 6 | 19-8 | @AL, LSU, TX, @AR |
| 10 | Vanderbilt | 6-8 | 7 | 18-9 | @TAMU, MZ, AR, @GA |
| 11 | Arkansas | 5-9 | 8 | 16-11 | TX, @SC, @VU, MS |
| 12 | Texas | 5-9 | 8 | 16-11 | @AR, GA, @MS, OK |
| 13 | Georgia | 4-10 | 9 | 16-11 | FL, @TX, @SC, VU |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 4-10 | 9 | 17-10 | UK, @OM, MZ, @TX |
| 15 | LSU | 3-11 | 10 | 14-13 | TN, @MS, @UK, TAMU |
| 16 | South Carolina | 1-13 | 12 | 11-16 | @MZ, AR, GA, @TN |
Projected SEC Standings – Feb. 23
As Saturday showed us, a lot can change as teams, like Vanderbilt and Arkansas, fight to stay on the NCAA Tournament bubble. KenPom predicts Kentucky will split its remaining four games, beating Oklahoma and LSU and losing to Auburn and Missouri.
Looking at KenPom’s projected final SEC standings (with tiebreakers), the Cats would be tied with Ole Miss and Mississippi State at 9-9 in the standings. The Bulldogs would win the three-way tiebreaker due to its two wins over the Rebels, clinching the No. 7 seed. Kentucky would get the No. 8 seed with a 1-1 record against the other two teams. Ole Miss would be pushed to Wednesday with the No. 9 seed due to its two losses vs. Mississippi State.
- Auburn: 16-2
- Florida: 14-4
- Alabama: 13-5
- Tennessee: 12-6
- Missouri 12-6
- Texas A&M: 11-7
- Mississippi State: 9-9
- Kentucky: 9-9
- Ole Miss: 9-9
- Vanderbilt: 8-10
- Arkansas: 7-11
- Texas: 7-11
- Georgia: 6-12
- Oklahoma: 5-13
- LSU: 4-14
- South Carolina: 2-16
Here’s a closer look at the projections for all three teams. Ole Miss has the hardest road left, with KenPom predicting just one win remaining, vs. Oklahoma. Mississippi State’s game vs. Arkansas on March 8 is one to watch. We’ll want to cheer for the Razorbacks in that one to keep Mississippi State in a three-way tie with Kentucky and Ole Miss. The Cats would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Rebels due to the loss in Oxford.
Team
Ole Miss
Kentucky
Mississippi State
Current SEC record
8-6
7-7
7-7
at No. 1 Auburn (L, 12%)
at Oklahoma (W, 57%)
at No. 4 Alabama (L, 21%)
Oklahoma (W, 75%)
Auburn (L, 35%)
LSU (W, 85%)
No. 6 Tennessee (L, 39%)
LSU (W, 90%)
Texas (W, 73%)
at No, 2 Florida (L, 16%)
at No. 15 Missouri (L, 86-82)
at Arkansas (L, 44%)
KenPom Projected Final SEC Record
9-9
9-9
9-9
Vanderbilt is another team to keep an eye on. KenPom projects the Commodores to lose three of their remaining four games (at Texas A&M -L; vs. Missouri – L; vs. Arkansas – W; at Georgia – L). Things could get messy if Vandy wins one of those and enters a three-way tiebreaker with Kentucky and another team. Shoutout for the win over Ole Miss, Commodores, but don’t get too crazy.
What happens if Kentucky wins one of the two games KenPom projects it to lose, vs. Auburn or at Missouri? The Cats could climb to the No. 7 seed, or even higher if they win out. Lose one or both of the games you’re supposed to win, at Oklahoma or vs. LSU, and you’re almost certainly playing on Wednesday.
Still lots of basketball to play. Kentucky needs to take care of business and hope the rest of the chips fall in their favor.
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GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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