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How on Earth did the Kentucky Wildcats get a 5 seed in arguably the hardest region in the NCAA Tournament?
If you know about the S-curve, it’s a method that the committee tries to use when constructing the four regions that make up the field of 68 teams.
As it turns out, UK was the 17th-ranked team by the NCAA Selection Committee, one spot behind the Arizona Wildcats.
Virginia, who is the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance, is also the top seed in UK’s region. So in theory, if the S-curve is used, they should get the worst 2 seed, the best 3 seed, the worst 4 seed and the best 5 seed in their region. That’s how the S-curve works.
For the most part, that’s how it played out, as the South Region features the worst 2 seed (Cincinnati), the second-best 3 seed (Tennessee), the worst 4 seed (Arizona) and the best 5 seed (UK).
It’s unfortunate for UK, but it does help dispel the conspiracy theories that the committee is out to get John Calipari and UK. It’s just a flawed system that UK ends up being a victim of far too often.
Here is a look at how all 68 teams were ranked by the committee:
- Virginia (31-2)
- Villanova (30-4)
- Kansas (27-7)
- Xavier (28-5)
- North Carolina (25-10)
- Duke (26-7)
- Purdue (28-6)
- Cincinnati (30-4)
- Michigan St. (29-4)
- Tennessee (25-8)
- Michigan (28-7)
- Texas Tech (24-9)
- Auburn (25-7)
- Wichita St. (25-7)
- Gonzaga (30-4)
- Arizona (27-7)
- Kentucky (24-10)
- West Virginia (24-10)
- Clemson (23-9)
- Ohio St. (24-8)
- Florida (20-12)
- Miami (FL) (22-9)
- Houston (26-7)
- TCU (21-11)
- Texas A&M (20-12)
- Arkansas (23-11)
- Nevada (27-7)
- Rhode Island (25-7)
- Seton Hall (21-11)
- Creighton (21-11)
- Virginia Tech (21-11)
- Missouri (20-12)
- Butler (20-13)
- Kansas St. (22-11)
- Providence (21-13)
- Alabama (19-15)
- NC State (21-11)
- Florida St. (20-11)
- Texas (19-14)
- Oklahoma (18-13)
- UCLA (21-11)
- St. Bonaventure (25-7)
- Arizona St. (20-11)
- Syracuse (20-13)
- San Diego St. (22-10)
- Loyola Chicago (28-5)
- New Mexico St. (28-5)
- Davidson (21-11)
- South Dakota St. (28-6)
- Murray St. (26-5)
- Buffalo (26-8)
- UNCG (27-7)
- Col. of Charleston (26-7)
- Marshall (24-10)
- Bucknell (25-9)
- Montana (26-7)
- Wright St. (25-9)
- SFA (28-6)
- Lipscomb (23-9)
- Georgia St. (24-10)
- Cal St. Fullerton (20-11)
- Iona (20-13)
- UMBC (24-10)
- Penn (24-8)
- Radford (22-12)
- LIU Brooklyn (18-16)
- N.C. Central (19-15)
- Texas Southern (15-19)