Wildcat fans knew they weren’t going to hear Kentucky’s name called on Sunday evening for the men’s NCAA bracket reveal. As a result, they may have turned away from the broadcast entirely. Those that still tuned in certainly received some pleasure when neither Duke nor Louisville* garnered a spot in the 68-team field either.

*Note: The Cardinals were team No. 69 – first team out – of the committee’s bracket, which was chaired by UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart.

Now that the men’s championship is set and squared, the women’s title escapades are announced tonight. The Cats, who faltered in the SEC Quarterfinals, are a lock for the 64-team field despite heading home form Greenville sooner than they wanted, but what seed line they end up on – while limited in scope – is not a certainty.

Record: 17-8 (10-7 SEC, including conference tournament); 5th in SEC

NCAA NET: 18

Quality Wins: vs. No. 11 Indiana, vs. No. 16 Arkansas, vs. No. 20 Tennessee, at No. 17 Georgia

Bad Losses: None

In this article’s initial publication, both of Kentucky’s losses to Ole Miss qualified – relatively speaking – as bad. But the Rebels performance in the SEC Tournament, where they defeated Arkansas (the NET’s 17th-ranked squad) and pushed Tennessee (NET: 14) to the brink of elimination, has them on the bracket’s outskirts: CBS Sports’ Matt Ward and Autumn Johnson have Ole Miss among their last four teams IN, while ESPN’s Charlie Creme slots them among his first four OUT. The Rebels will undoubtedly be sweating it out all day, but their contention for a tourney bid moves them out of true “bad loss” status.

If the “eye test” plays any role in the Wildcats’ seed, they may be lower than expected. Kentucky let an under-.500, 3-11 SEC mark Florida Gator team hang around for 46 of 48 minutes in the conference tournament’s second round, and was waxed by a talented Georgia team the next day. Those outings are clearly not representative of Kyra Elzy’s crew at its best, but could have a negative affect on where they’re located amongst the committee’s overall rankings.

What currently helps Kentucky is not only its own position in the NET, but the strength of the SEC in the metric. The conference has six teams in the NET’s top-20, two more than the next strongest league (Pac-12: 4) and double the Big Ten (3), who has the third most. This distinction has propelled Rhyne Howard and Co. to a four seed in the projections of Johnson and Creme, a line higher than its NET alone indicates.

Regardless of the seed they receive, the Cats will have to discover the ability to defend on the interior if they hope to advance. The likes of Aliyah Boston, N’Dea Jones, Shakira Austin and Jenna Staiti have shredded them in the paint at times. When Kentucky locks down on the inside, opponents have difficulty beating them.

The Cats find out their seed and first-round foe in tonight’s NCAA Women’s Selection Special, which airs at 7:00 p.m. E.T. on ESPN