Regardless of a demoralizing loss to Georgia the place all hope seems to be waning, Kentucky continues to be going to have alternatives to make the upcoming NCAA Event — not less than in idea they may.
Kentucky got here into Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Bulldogs simply barely projected to make the sector of 68, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, who acknowledged hours earlier than tipoff that UK would “drop fully out of the projected NCAA subject” if this system suffered one other loss. That line was parrotted all through your complete broadcast, too, and it finally got here to fruition. It’s powerful to see how, if the season had been to finish as we speak, Kentucky would make the NCAA Event with its present resume: only one Quad 1 win (1-7) and now two terrible-looking losses to SEC bottom-feeders Georgia and South Carolina.
Following the aftermath of what occurred in Athens, Kentucky now sits on a 16-9 general document with a 7-5 mark in SEC play. The ‘Cats nonetheless have an opportunity to earn a top-four seed (and the double-bye that comes with it) within the convention event with how crowded the center of the league is, however wins must be stacked. If there’s something “optimistic” to remove from Saturday’s loss, it’s that Kentucky nonetheless has alternatives to beef up its mediocre resume.
“Right here’s what’s nice. We acquired the sort of schedule that — let’s go win video games and we’ll be nice. Simply gonna should go win video games,” Head coach John Calipari said after falling to Georgia. “There are video games that we’re enjoying in opposition to groups that you just beat these groups, you’re nice. Whether or not we’re wholesome or not we’re gonna should go at these groups and people are gonna be necessary video games for us. However we’ve them, it’s not like we don’t have every other probabilities to go get this proper.”
Kentucky actually does have loads of probabilities left on the schedule to work again into the projected subject, however with the staff’s present trajectory, modifications will seemingly be needed. Of the six video games left within the common season, UK is just favored by KenPom and BartTorvik in two of them — at residence in opposition to Auburn and Vanderbilt. A 2-4 end to the season would destroy any hopes of creating the NCAA Event. Actually, something wanting a 5-1 end would seemingly preserve the ‘Cats from dancing in March, and even then it might be an in depth name.
It doesn’t assist (properly, technically it does) that Kentucky has 4 extra Quad 1 opponents remaining. The final couple of weeks hasn’t precisely instilled confidence that this group can exit and steal a few of these victories in opposition to the likes of No. 6 Tennessee or Arkansas on the highway. However when you’re searching for a sliver of hope, it’s that there shall be sufficient video games on the market for Kentucky to craft a tournament-caliber resume.
“We have now every kind of video games that we are able to go do what we have to do,” Calipari stated. “We acquired groups within the prime 20, prime 30 coming in, prime 10. We acquired our probability to do no matter we select to do.”
“We acquired six video games left within the common season,” Kentucky heart Oscar Tshiebwe stated postgame. “I consider on this staff, we’re gonna preserve preventing, and we gotta get a win. The remainder of the six video games we gotta win and be prepared for the event.”
At this level, each recreation the remainder of the best way shall be seen as a must-win for the Wildcats.
