Collegiate athletes across all sports cross their fingers in hopes of being selected for the NCAA tournament at the end of their season.

However, for Kentucky men’s soccer, it faces the reality of not seeing their name in the bracket this year.

After a nail-biting 0-1 loss to the UFC, the Wildcats’ (10-2-5, 7-2-1 SBC) run in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Tournament has met its end .

Now that Kentucky lost its shot at an automatic bid for the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament, that poses a huge question: Will the Wildcats receive a bid to advance this year?

After starting the regular season off strong, 6-0-3, Marshall men’s soccer delivered the first loss, followed by Indiana the week after.

The conference tournament looked just as devastating, with the Wildcats barely surviving a double-overtime win in penalty kicks (6-5) against Coastal Carolina before their loss against Central Florida.

Without winning the SBC tournament, Kentucky now has to rely on an at-large bid in order to continue its season, a decision even Head Coach Johan Cedergren said he fears for. 

“What I would ask [the selection committee] is that we won the regular season title, we only lost two games,” Cedergren said.

Powerhouse teams from the 2024 season on the Wildcats schedule, such as Indiana and West Virginia, did not have the good seasons originally predicted. The Mountaineers faced a devastating loss against Marshall in the SBC tournament semifinals, while the Hoosiers did not qualify in the Big Ten conference.

As a result,  Kentucky’s RPI weakened, damaging its chances of making the tournament.

“In regards to RPI and at-large bids, I think we’re sitting in a pretty sticky situation,” Cedergren said.

With the season’s fate in the hands of the selection committee, Cedergren says the emotions are high for the team.

But despite the uncertainty, he still expresses his gratitude towards the player’s hard work.

“I am very thankful for the group we got to work with this year. But, at the same time, the conference tournament and semi tournament come down to key motives,” Cedergren said.

While everyone will be hoping, 26 teams will hear their name called and advance to the NCAA DI Men’s Soccer Championships, along with the 22 automatic entries from each conference tournament champion.

 Selections for at-large bids will take place on Monday, Nov. 17.