Kentucky's Quadrant 1 Wins Quadruple, Wildcats in Driver Seat for Double-Bye in SEC Tournament
With two weeks left in the regular season, Kentucky basketball is all of a sudden in a much better place — one that's actively trekking further away from the NCAA Tournament bubble.
The Wildcats' second victory over Tennessee improved their record to 18-9 (9-5 SEC). John Calipari's team is now on a two-game winning streak, a complete 180 from their two-game losing skid suffered a week prior.
"I said this -- and I'm trying -- you win a game, I don't want it to come across, but -- talking us out of the NCAA Tournament does not work. You either play yourself in or you play yourself out," Calipari said after the 66-54 win over the 10th-ranked Volunteers
It's been a rollercoaster of a season, but the light now appears much brighter at the end of the tunnel. Below is an update of UK's NET rating, its NCAA Tournament résumé and the SEC Tournament outlook.
Two games ago, Kentucky had one Quadrant 1 win to speak of — the first win over Tennessee in Knoxville on Jan. 14. Now, it has four.
That's thanks to a road win over Mississippi State, the home vanquishing of UT and some continued help from an ever-improving Texas A&M team. The Aggies are now 12-2 in SEC play and are 28th in the NET, making UK's 76-67 win over A&M on Jan. 21 one of the Quad 1 variety.
Texas A&M's success paying off for Kentucky
Kentucky — just 35th in the NET itself — now has a severely-less ugly résumé as it continues its final push to March Madness:
- Quad 1 record: 4-7
- Quad 2 record: 5-1
- Quad 3 record: 3-0
- Quad 4 record: 6-1
The final four games of the regular season currently feature three more Q1 opportunities. UK won't need to win out, but another pair of high-profile wins to hang its hat on wouldn't hurt.
- 2/22 — @ Florida (53rd in NET) — Q1
- 2/25 — vs. Auburn (30th) — Q1
- 3/1 — vs. Vanderbilt (88th) — Q3
- 3/4 — @ Arkansas (19th) — Q1
Of note, Auburn is teetering on a Q2 game for Kentucky. The Tigers host 10-17 (2-12 SEC) Ole Miss on Wednesday, though, so barring an embarrassing home loss, Bruce Pearl's bubble team should stay put in the top-30 of the NET.
Vanderbilt — which just defeated Auburn over the weekend — is riding a five-game winning streak, but isn't making much progress towards the NET top-75. If the Commodores could reach that mark, UK's 69-53 win in Nashville on Jan. 21 would turn into Q1.
Kentucky maintains third place in the SEC
Here's the SEC standings with four games to go:
- Alabama (13-1)
- Texas A&M (12-2)
- Kentucky (9-5)
- Tennessee (9-5)
- Vanderbilt (8-6)
- Auburn (8-6)
- Arkansas (7-7)
- Florida (7-7)
- Missouri (7-7)
- Georgia (6-8)
- Mississippi State (6-8)
- South Carolina (3-11)
- Ole Miss (2-12)
- LSU (1-13)
Kentucky is in the driver seat to earn one of the top four seeds and a double-bye, as all of its games left are against teams just one or two games back in the standings. Third place feels like the pinnacle, as A&M is still nipping at Alabama's heels for the top spot.
Not having to play until Friday is — obviously — a big plus. Many suggest that conference championships played on Sunday don't actually improve seeding in the NCAA Tournament, but making the conference title game, or heck, even snatching the auto-bid, could go a long way in the eyes of the Selection Committee.
What an interesting turn of events it's been for the Wildcats. Other results around the SEC have gone their way as they've landed a pair of important victories, both of which came shorthanded.
This is Kentucky we're talking about, however, so don't be surprised if the sky starts falling in Gainesville this Wednesday. Tipoff between Kentucky and Florida is set for 7 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN.
More on Kentucky's win over Tennessee HERE.
COLUMN: Calipari's "refuse to lose" mantra becoming Kentucky's golden gimmick
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
