2017 NCAA Tournament: Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky preview, prediction, TV schedule

Feb 25, 2017; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) celebrates with teammates forward Wenyen Gabriel (32) and forward Edrice Bam Adebayo (3) during the game against the Florida Gators in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Florida 76-66. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

The No. 2 seeded Kentucky Wildcats will face the No. 15 seeded Northern Kentucky Norse in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

TV schedule: Friday, March 17, 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS

The Kentucky Wildcats will enter the 2017 NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed but will feel like they have what it takes to win it all. Fresh off an SEC regular season title win that was coupled with an SEC Tournament trophy, the Wildcats are currently one of the hottest teams in the country.

Star player Malik Monk finally received some much-needed help during a slump offensively from De’Aaron Fox, meaning that Kentucky has not been more dangerous at any point in the season. They have now proven that even when their superstar is struggling they can win big. Their defense has been on fire lately as well, and any team that faces them faces the chance to be blown out by an athletically superior team.

That brings us to their first-round opponents, the Northern Kentucky Norse, who, as we all know, have a very small chance at the upset.

Northern Kentucky won the Horizon League despite finishing in third in the regular season standings but finished the season with an impressive 24 wins. After a rough start to the season, the Norse went on a seven-of-eight game win streak before heading into the conference tournament.

Northern Kentucky will not defeat Kentucky on Friday night, but do not be surprised if this team plays the Wildcats extremely tough in the first half. They are currently riding a major hot streak and should face Kentucky full of confidence. However, the athleticism of the Wildcats catches up to them in the second half, and the Norse lose big.

Prediction: Kentucky 85, Northern Kentucky 65

Next: 5 most likely first round upsets

For the first time in a long time, it feels like most people are counting Kentucky out. With no clear top dog heading into the NCAA Tournament for what feels like the first time in forever, the Wildcats are more than capable of winning it all.

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