9. Kentucky (3-seed)
Nothing returned from last season for the Wildcats and this new team is certainly barreling ahead into prominence. Mark Pope took over for John Calipari and completely rebuilt Kentucky’s lineup mostly using the Transfer Portal. What resulted has been pretty prolific, with the Wildcats in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2019.
Kentucky looked awesome at times, getting wins over Duke, Gonzaga, Florida, and a pair over Tennessee, but there were also some dreadful showings. All in all, a 10-8 finish in this year’s SEC isn’t bad, especially with this completely new-look lineup. Add onto that that Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Kerr Kriisa and others have missed significant time with injuries and there’s a lot to celebrate even before March Madness began.
The Wildcats handled 14-seed Troy without too much worry on Friday, getting a 19-point win with a solid defensive showing. Their offense put on a clinic in the second half against 6-seed Illinois to power themselves to this Sweet Sixteen. We’ve seen some outstanding shoot at times from these Wildcats and the early stages of that half was another of those fine moments.
Whether it’s Otega Oweh cutting to the basket or Koby Brea knocking down 3-pointers, Kentucky finds ways to win games and put up points in a hurry. Their offense sits just outside the Top 10 nationally in the efficiency ratings while the defense has actually performed decently during the Big Dance. What lies ahead is still a mystery but Kentucky is already outperforming expectations, with this ragtag group certainly not satisfied yet.