Kentucky rises in latest ESPN bracketology

It’s that time of the year again where Joe Lunardi comes out of hibernation to post his latest bracketology that fans take too close to heart even though the tournament is three months away.

In his latest one, the Kentucky Wildcats land at a 6 seed in the West Region playing in Jacksonville:

The Wildcats were projected as an 8 seed last week, so beating the Tar Heels was good enough for a two-spot rise.

I’m sure you guys would be happy to know that of course Lunardi has Kentucky and North Carolina rematching in the second round, which would be dumb because that’s at least a Sweet 16/Elite 8 matchup.

Also, having a 9-2 Kentucky team who just beat 8-3 North Carolina on a neutral court three seeds below them is down right laughable at this point. The only real argument you can make for this is North Carolina dominated Gonzaga two weeks ago, and the Bulldogs are a 2 seed in this projection.

I don’t think Kentucky ends up with a 6 seed as the team seems to be rounding a corner on the season with the win over UNC, but with a tough SEC schedule, anything can happen. I would expect Kentucky to creep into a 4 seed if they were to get a win on the road at Louisville.

In Kentucky’s projected region:

• 1 seed - Tennessee Volunteers
• 2 seed - Gonzaga Bulldogs
• 3 seed - North Carolina Tar Heels
• 4 seed - Ohio State Buckeyes
• 5 seed - Marquette Golden Eagles