Kentucky
Obviously Kentucky is not currently on the bubble; they’re the one inclusion on this week’s list whose bid to the NCAA Tournament is safe for now. We all know that the Wildcats are a Blue Bloods program that have had a lot of success under head coach John Calipari. We also know that the team has had its moments this season, with highs (beating North Carolina) and lows (losing at home to UNC Wilmington).
One week after a 17-point loss at South Carolina, the Wildcats were back at home but had even more trouble than expected. On Wednesday, Florida got sweet revenge on Kentucky, prevailing 94-91 in overtime to avenge a game in Gainesville from nearly four weeks earlier. Things didn’t get better for the Wildcats, who lost a classic 103-92 at home to Tennessee over the weekend. It’s a rarely atrocious week for a Kentucky team that hadn’t lost twice at home in a week in some time.
Though still in the Tournament field right now, Kentucky’s NET is down to 26 and they’re only 2-4 against Quad 1 foes. They’re lucky that the UNC Wilmington loss is just Quad 3 but it’s also clear that the Wildcats are not firing on all cylinders right now. Losers of three of their last four, the Wildcats will look to get back on track with some major opportunities ahead, including dates with Gonzaga, Auburn, and Alabama the next three Saturdays.