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If daylight savings, or the copious amounts of green shamrocks, were any indication.. That's right, the Madness has arrived. (“Alexa, queue Future.”) After spending the last week or so fully immersed in the scouting of potential vanquishers of March, Selection Sunday revealed which teams made the NCAA Tournament, and the entertaining matchups throughout the 68-team field, including those who snuck in from the bubble like Kentucky basketball, set to face Troy in the Round of 64 on Friday.
Historically, the 3-14 game looks good for the Wildcats. Since 1985, a No. 14 seed has pulled off the upset just 23 times (14.74 win percentage), per Joe Boozell of NCAA.com. But in comparison to a 2-15 matchup, the 3-14 is two times more likely. For those who have a short memory, Kentucky was bounced in 2024 by Oakland. As a, you guessed it, No. 3 seed!
Kentucky basketball lacks momentum and consistency
Following a 99-70 blowout loss to Alabama last Friday, those filling out a bracket (or brackets) this week are unsure how far to take Kentucky (or any of its conference foes, for that matter) in the Big Dance. The SEC has been the best for most of the season, and the inflamed competitiveness during Champ Week has made it more difficult to see the underlying greatness from one of the 14 contenders.
For Kentucky, head coach Mark Pope just wrapped up his first regular season with the Wildcats. He enters with two previous NCAA Tournament appearances at BYU, but has never advanced to the second round in his nine-year career. In his first go at the SEC Tournament, Pope's demeanor was that of a seasoned coach in the conference, and his way of spinning the unfortunate conclusion against the Crimson Tide in his squad's favor was that of an ever inspiring college hoops figure.
“We talked about it since the beginning,” Pope said Friday night, per Cameron Drummond of the Lexington Herald Leader, (via John Clay of Yahoo Sports). “(Or was it Saturday morning?) It’s either going to tear you to shreds or it’s going to make you better. I think teams are going to decide which is going to be their path. If you had the fortitude and togetherness to make it, it can make you better. So that’s the challenge.”
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But high hopes go right out the window once teams take the floor this time of year.
The Wildcats were victorious against Oklahoma, who has been slotted as a No. 9 seed and will face the back-to-back national champion UConn, so the argument could be that Kentucky is due for a win.
“The whole night we were a little stagnant in terms of playing in the character of the way that we play,” Pope said.
Troy, on the other hand, has embraced the habit of winning in March. Convincingly, as well. None of its opponents have come within 12 points in any of its conference tournament games. There's no way that the Trojans, led by head coach Scott Cross, plan on viewing their blue blood adversary any different.
The Sun Belt champ could give the Wildcats a run for their money.
