It’s almost time for Kentucky to begin its path to Phoenix in Pittsburgh against No. 13 Oakland.

With tip-off scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, here’s how the Kentucky Kernel sports editors think the Cats will do:

Ali Cetinok:

As said so many times this season from John Calipari, Kentucky fans and the Wildcats themselves, this team has all the potential to go on and win a national championship.

Well, the journey to bring the ever elusive ninth title to Lexington starts in Pittsburgh as the Wildcats, placed in the South Region, will square off with No. 14 Oakland in the first round at PPG Paints Arena.

Now, if the Wildcats survive the first weekend, they will head to Dallas, where the South Region’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups will be held at the American Airlines Center, but the question is will Kentucky even make it that far?

After yet another disappointing exit from the SEC Tournament with the Cats allowing Texas A&M to score 97, Kentucky fans were quickly brought back down to earth after a very solid end to the regular season.

With the loss to the Aggies, Kentucky fans were also reminded of an ugly truth: while this team possesses some generational talent on the offensive side of the floor, the team simply can’t play any defense.

While having a team that is so electric on offense, the Cats don’t need to play spectacular defense all 40 minutes, just enough to get by, but unfortunately this team struggles to do even the bare minimum on the defensive side of the floor.

Simply put, you don’t win in March by entering games expecting, and even game planning for a shootout.

Despite that, there are some things that lean in Kentucky’s favor for a deep run. One of these is that the bracket ultimately shapes up to be very favorable for the Cats and another being that, if any team in the country can score 100-plus points for four or five games straight, it’s Kentucky.

Now, the Wildcats might have to face a team that it matches up poorly against in the Sweet Sixteen, likely meeting Florida if both teams win their two opening games, and that’s where I believe Kentucky’s journey to the Final Four will end, bringing in yet another year of unmet expectations for the program.

Samantha Money:

Thousands of Kentucky fans traveled to Nashville last weekend and suffered from feelings that are becoming all too familiar with BBN fans during March: disappointment and frustration.

It has been a handful of years since Kentucky performed to a respectable level in March, and going 0-1 for the first time in consecutive years in the SEC Tournament did not leave fans necessarily feeling excited, either.

But when Kentucky’s seed and opponent was announced on selection Sunday, Calipari said people should be ecstatic about this team. The hall of famer’s roster is packed with talented freshmen — a recruiting approach that often proved successful for Calipari at the beginning of his tenure at Kentucky.

With that being said, the Wildcats are long overdue to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, and there’s no doubt that all of the talent and all of the potential exists.

Unfortunately, that talent tends to be overshadowed by Kentucky’s weakness on defense and, as fans saw in Nashville against Texas A&M, even a strong offense is not enough to make up for it.

I have faith that the Wildcats will make it to Dallas, even if that means defeating a hot and intimidating NC State (I believe the Wolfpack will claim the victory over Texas Tech) team, as long as Kentucky gets its defense in shape.

Within the first five minutes of the second round, we will be able to tell whether or not the team is heading to Dallas and, if they do, I see the Wildcats going far.

But then again, that’s how it usually goes with this team nowadays. It’s either all or nothing.

Cole Parke:

It’s officially that time again, and I hope everyone has their dancing shoes ready because, in years prior, Kentucky sure hasn’t.

The Cats are looking to escape the first weekend for the first time since 2019 — half a decade — and, while they were admittedly screwed by the 2020 tournament’s cancellation, a lot of that is because of poor form by Calipari when it mattered most.

After Saint Peter’s, nobody is truly an opponent to overlook, but call me naive, I’ll fall into the same trap. Oakland is a capable mid-major program, and an upset would be less stunning than the Peacocks, but Kentucky is winning this game.

The real trouble is in the second round. While NC State will be difficult in its red-hot form, the bigger hurdle is Texas Tech. Coming out of the Big 12, the Red Raiders are a solid defensive team and have a strong offense as well to back it up.

Personally, I can’t picture Kentucky making it to Dallas. If it does, however, I have to agree with Ali that the Florida Gators may have its number in the Sweet Sixteen. Another year, another let down.