After a game-winner from junior Otega Oweh the night before to lift No. 15 Kentucky past Oklahoma the SEC Tournament second round, it was not much of a contest against No. 5 Alabama in the quarterfinals on Friday night. With a 99-70 loss and a third defeat to the Crimson Tide this season, Kentucky finds itself out of the SEC Tournament and awaiting its seed in the NCAA Tournament when the selection committee reveals the field of 68 on Sunday.
As explosive as Kentucky's offense has been this season, its defense continues to be a major letdown. In the three meetings with Alabama, the Wildcats allowed at least 96 points in each game. As injuries have continued to take a toll and the defensive woes remain, that puts even more pressure on the offense to play at a high level and convert a high percentage of shots to make up for it, a particularly tall order against an attack as potent as the Tide's.
Following an early exit from the SEC Tournament, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Kentucky as a three-seed in his latest projections. With conference tournaments finishing up across the country and some teams trying to strengthen their case for a better seed, will Kentucky's blowout loss to Alabama impact its seeding or has it accomplished enough to stay on the three-line?
Were Kentucky's chances of a No. 3 seed impacted after the loss to Alabama?
While the loss certainly did nothing to help Kentucky's case for a No. 3 seed, there is likely only one team that has the potential to drop Kentucky down to a No. 4 seed. Of the current four-seeds in Lunardi's latest projections, only Arizona is still in action in the Big 12 Championship against Houston. Should Arizona win that game, Kentucky could potentially drop to a four-seed.
When you look at each team, Arizona has a better NET ranking (12) and 10 Quad 1 wins while Kentucky has a NET ranking of 14 and 11 Quad 1 wins. However, Kentucky's eight wins over top 15 opponents are tied for the NCAA record and could be enough to help the Wildcats stay put.
With the remaining four-seeds eliminated from their respective conference tournaments, Kentucky is in a solid position to maintain its seeding in spite of the blowout loss to the Crimson Tide. Regardless of which seed it ends up with, Kentucky has put together an impressive first season under head coach Mark Pope. The loss to Alabama certainly stings, but the potential for a top-three seed remains as the Wildcats turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament.