5. Kentucky needs a top-2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
This would be the greatest gift of all. For all teams, a higher seed is desirable. That being said, it is even more important for the Kentucky Wildcats. In their past, there has mostly been a correlation between successful postseasons and high seeds. The one exception is when they made it to the championship game as an 8-seed.
In Kentucky’s championship season back in 2011-2012, they were a top seed. In their most recent Final Four appearance, they were a top seed. In their last season being a top-2 seed, they made it to the Elite Eight. In most seasons where they are a 4-seed or worse, they tend to lose in the Sweet Sixteen.
Getting a top-2 seed is not necessarily out of reach for the Wildcats, but it will come with a lot of work. This is a wish that will coincide with the other wishes: if they can beat quality teams and win their conference, this is a great possibility. If they can’t, they will probably be in bad luck.
Another thing holding Kentucky back will be the amount of teams fighting for top seeds. Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina are all dominating the ACC. Michigan and Kansas are the clear leaders in their own conferences. Inside the SEC itself, Tennessee and Auburn look to be ranked ahead of Kentucky. All of this doesn’t even include mid-majors like Gonzaga and Nevada.
In all honesty, all of this is too far down the road to think about. That being said, if we’re going to wish, we might as well wish big.