Kentucky Basketball: Takeaways from heartbreaking loss to Louisville

Bracketology impact for Wildcats

The chances are running out for resume-building wins to get UK into the big dance. With there only being two ranked teams in the SEC, the amount of games Kentucky has to turn heads is very limited.

I was one who was very much against pushing the panic button on the Wildcats last week, but now may be a different story. Had they came out on top and won against their in-state rival, Kentucky would be viewed as a 2-5 team who just took a while to get into the flow of the season. With the coronavirus pandemic affecting practices for a team of almost wholly newcomers, it would be acceptable to some degree.

Now, at 1-6, there seems to be little forgiveness for Calipari’s Wildcats. They will likely not have the luxury of dropping any of the next six games against very beatable opponents. That stretch starts January 2nd against Mississippi State.

After that, it leads into four games versus quality opponents. Starting with LSU, and then facing Mizzou, Texas, and Tennessee. If the Wildcats can win two or three of these games, along with the six prior, they’d be in position for a potential at-large bid becomes possible again. The Texas game becomes very crucial for Kentucky to get a marquee non-conference victory.

It’s a narrow path they trod, but it’s still possible for the time being. UK cannot have too many more hiccups the rest of the year if they want to hear their name called on March 14th.