Monday Headlines: NCAA Tournament Paths Set for Wildcats Edition

March Madness is back!

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Mar 14, 2022, 6:40am EDT

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MAR 06 SEC Women’s Tournament - South Carolina Gamecocks v Kentucky Wildcats

It’s officially the second full week of March and the NCAA Tournament has arrived.

Following Saturday’s exit from the SEC Tournament, Kentucky was essentially guaranteed to land a 2 seed for the Big Dance. As Selection Sunday began, head coach John Calipari and his Wildcats quickly learned just that with Kentucky landing a 2 seed in the East Region.

For the women, their magical SEC Tournament run lifted them all the way to a 6 seed. Now that the seeding is complete and regions are set, how lucky (or unlucky) were the Wildcats?

For the men, their draw was somewhat favorable. While playing either Murray State or San Francisco in the second round could be a real challenge, drawing Baylor as their top seed was relatively favorable.

Before a potential Elite Eight matchup with the Bears, Kentucky would just have to advance past Saint Peter’s as 18-point favorites (via DraftKings), then Murray State or San Francisco, followed by a likely matchup with Purdue or Texas in the Sweet 16.

Check out official NCAA Tournament odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

It also helps that Arizona, Houston, Illinois, Tennessee, Villanova, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin and Auburn are all on the opposite side of the bracket.

While they didn’t play like it over the weekend, Kentucky is a top-10 team that can beat anyone on most days.

Overall, the men’s team had a good Selection Sunday.

Unfortunately, the women’s team didn’t have the same luck, as they’ll open with No. 24-ranked Princeton.

And if they advance, they’ll immediately turn around to potentially face No. 11-ranked Indiana. If the Wildcats manage victories in both matchups, their Sweet 16 will kick off with a potential matchup against No. 6-ranked UConn and a possible Elite Eight game against No. 3-ranked NC State.

It’s a heck of a road, but not impossible for the SEC Champions.

March Madness officially begins for the Men’s team on Thursday in Indianapolis while the Women’s team will head to Bloomington for their tournament opener on Saturday.

Tweet of the Day

These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 13, 2022