Kentucky mens basketball’s path to a ninth national championship to begin on Friday in Greensboro
Kentucky Wildcats forwards Oscar Tshiebwe (34) and Jacob Toppin (0) stand on defense during the No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Vanderbilt mens basketball game in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, March 10, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff
March 12, 2023
Kentucky mens basketball earned a No. 6 seed during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday.
The Wildcats will first face off against the No. 11 Providence Friars, home of former Kentucky Wildcat Bryce Hopkins, in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday, March 17.
Providence finished the regular season fifth in the Big East with a 21-11 record to claim the No. 20 spot in the most recent AP Poll before falling in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament to UConn, which itself would go on to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Friars got into the “big dance” via an at-large bid, similar to Kentucky.
If the Cats are successful on Friday in avoiding an upset and taking care of Providence, Kentucky would likely then be faced with No. 3 Kansas State, which is set to face No. 14 Montana State in the first round.
The Bobcats of Montana State earned the 14 seed after winning the Big Sky Tournament, last defeating potential bid thief Northern Arizona, which itself stunned No. 1 seeded Eastern Washington in that tournament, to earn their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
Kansas State, on the other hand, finished its regular season third in the Big 12 with a 23-9 record, enough to claim the No. 12 spot in the most recent AP Poll, before falling to TCU, which would earn a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
If the Wildcats continue to advance out of the first weekend and into the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 2019 tournament, they will most likely face off against No. 2 Marquette.
The Golden Eagles, coached by Shaka Smart, won both the Big East regular season and Tournament titles, finishing the season 28-6, which was enough to claim the No. 6 spot in the most recent AP Poll.
Marquette would have to get through three teams, No. 15 Vermont, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 10 USC, in order to meet the Wildcats.
The Catamounts of Vermont won the auto bid from the American East Conference after last defeating UMass Lowell in the American East Tournament. The bid marked the second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament for Vermont, who just narrowly fell 75-71 to then No. 4 Arkansas in the first round.
Kentucky fans will be familiar with No. 7 Michigan State, which defeated the Wildcats in double overtime in the Champions Classic earlier in the year. Tom Izzo’s squad finished the season fourth in the Big Ten with a 19-12 record before being upset by Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
The final option, No. 10 USC, finished the season third in the Pac 12 with a 22-10 record before being upset by Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the Pac 12 Tournament.
If Kentucky managed to advance to the Elite Eight it would most likely find itself against No. 1 Purdue which, despite being the fourth No. 1 seed, won both the Big Ten regular season and Tournament Championships, defeating Penn State on Sunday morning.
The Boilermakers, which found themselves as the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll on multiple occasions, finished the season 29-5, enough to claim the No. 5 spot in the most recent AP Poll.
If it isn’t Purdue that Kentucky finds itself against it will either be No. 4 Tennessee, No. 5 Duke, No. 8 Memphis, No. 9 Florida Atlantic (FAU), No. 12 Oral Roberts, No. 13 Louisiana, No. 16 Texas Southern or No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson.
Kentucky fans may be hoping for the first of those options, No. 4 Tennessee, which Kentucky swept in the regular season. The Vols finished the year fifth in the SEC before being defeated by No. 4 seeded Missouri in the SEC Tournament.
No. 5 Duke, on the other hand, claimed the ACC Tournament Championship after entering the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Blue Devils struggled to start the year but ultimately finished 26-8, enough to claim the No. 21 spot in the most recent AP Poll.
No. 8 Memphis claimed the AAC Tournament Championship, stunning eventual No. 1 seed Houston, after finishing the regular season 26-8.
Oral Roberts also earned an automatic bid into the dance, demolishing North Dakota State 92-58 to claim the Summit League regular season and Tournament championships. The Golden Eagles finished a perfect 18-0 in the conference, not suffering a single non-Quadrant-1 loss for the entirety of the season and claiming a 30-4 record.
FAU also poses a threat, winning both the Conference USA regular season and Tournament championships with a 31-3 record. The Owls even broke their way into the AP Poll on occasion during the regular season.
While the least likely three for Kentucky to face, Louisiana, Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson all have notable attributes themselves. The Ragin Cajuns earned the auto bid out of the Sun Belt, last defeating South Alabama. The Tigers, while technically a bid thief after entering the SWAC Tournament 14-20, are entering their third consecutive NCAA Tournament. Finally, the Knights earned the auto bid out of the NEC after league winner Merrimack was deemed ineligible due to the NCAA transition process.
A win in the Elite Eight would give Kentucky a chance to earn its first Final Four since the 2015 edition of the tournament.
Before any of that can happen though, Kentucky will have to take care of business against Providence on Friday. Tip off against the Friars is TBD but will take place inside the Greensboro Coliseum on March 17.
