Bracketology: Kentucky surpasses Duke

When the Kentucky Wildcats began the season 10-3 with losses to unranked Alabama and Seton Hall, few, if any saw this team being in the running for a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But the Wildcats would reel off 10-straight wins and a 16-2 record over the final 18 games, which now has them in line for a top seed if Selection Sunday was today.

Perhaps the most amazing part of Kentucky’s resurgence is they’ve managed to surpass the Duke Blue Devils, who handed the Wildcats one of their worst losses in the John Calipari era.

The latest bracketology projection from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Kentucky passing Duke for a 1 seed, as the Blue Devils drop to a 2 seed for the first time since Game 1.

The latest projection from CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm also has Kentucky checking in as a 1 seed in the South Region with Duke as the 2:

Even the North Carolina Tar Heels have now passed Duke, who has gone 3-3 over the last six games. Sure, a big part of that has been injuries, but the committee can’t just ignore three losses this late in the season.

While it’s nice to know Kentucky is in great shape for a 1, it’s far from a done deal they’ll ultimately end up with one. All threes teams can get a 1 by winning their respective conference tournaments next week. You can probably include Tennessee in that max, though they may need some help after losing to Auburn on Saturday.

The good news for Kentucky and Tennessee is, if the highest seeds keep winning, North Carolina and Duke will face off in their second game of the ACC Tournament. That ‘should’ assure the winner of the SEC Tournament getting a 1 seed.

What seed do you think Kentucky will ultimately end up with?