The Kentucky Wildcats were awarded a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which kicks off with the First Four battles on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, and continues with the Round of 64 starting up on Thursday.

The Wildcats lost to Vanderbilt in their first SEC Tournament action, dropping the game 80-73 and failing to cover as a 9.5-point favorite. Though the last game left a lot to be desired, Kentucky had a good stretch of games heading into the postseason. They won five of their last 6 games, taking down teams like Auburn, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Tennessee, all of which made the tournament with at-large bids.

That said, the Cats will be taking on the No. 11 Providence Friars from the Big East on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Cats ended up as the No. 23 team in the tournament, per the official seed list from the selection committee. Alabama was the top team with Houston, Kansas, and Purdue as the other top squads.

Alabama and Tennessee were the only other teams from the SEC in front of Kentucky. Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Missouri were all top 30 teams, so the SEC did have a good chunk of representation.

The Wildcats have the reigning National Player of the Year, Oscar Tsheibwe. They have ample shooting, the ability to defend well even if they don’t consistently, and players who can make shots at all three levels. The opportunity will certainly be there for the Cats to make a postseason run, but that’s a big if considering how their season has gone to this point.

Let’s see if the Cats can get hot at the right time and string together a few wins down the stretch.

NCAA Tournament Seed List 2023

1. Alabama (29-5)

2. Houston (31-3)

3. Kansas (27-7)

4. Purdue (295)

5. UCLA (29-5)

6. Texas (26-8)

7. Arizona (286)

8. Marquette (28-6)

9. Baylor (22-10)

10. Gonzaga (28 - 5)

11. Kansas St. (23-9)

12. Xavier (25-9)

13. UConn (25-8)

14. Tennessee (23 - 10)

15. Indiana (22-11)

16. Virginia (25 - 7)

17. San Diego St. (27 - 6)

18. Duke (26-8)

19. Saint Mary’s (CA) (26-7)

20. Miami (FL) (25-7)

21. lowa St. (19 - 13)

22. Creighton (21 - 12)

23. Kentucky (21 - 11)

24. TCU (21-12)

25. Texas A&M (25 - 9)

26. Michigan St. (19 - 12)

27. Missouri (24-9)

28. Northwestern (21 - 11)

29. Memphis (26-8)

30. Arkansas (20 - 13)

31. Maryland (21-12)

32. lowa (1913)

33. Fla. Atlantic (31-3)

34. West Virginia (19 - 14)

35. Auburn (20-12)

36. Illinois (2012)

37. Boise St. (24 - 9)

38. Penn St. (22-13)

39. Southern California (22 - 10)

40. Utah St. (26-8)

41. NC State (23-10)

42. Providence (21 - 11)

43. Mississippi St. (21 - 12)

44. Pittsburgh (22-11)

45. Arizona St. (22 - 12)

46. Nevada (22-10)

47. Col. of Charleston (31-3)

48. Oral Roberts (30-4)

49. Drake (27-7)

50. VCU (27-7)

51. Kent St. (286)

52. lona (27-7)

53. Furman (27-7)

54. Louisiana (26- 7)

55. Kennesaw St. (26-8)

56 UC Santa Barbara (27 - 7)

57. Grand Canyon (2411)

58. Montana St. (25) - 9)

59. Vermont (23-10)

60. Colgate (26-8)

61. Princeton (21 - 8)

62. UNC Asheville (27-7)

63. Northern Ky. (22 - 12)

64. Howard (22 - 12)

65. A&M-Corpus Christi (23-10)

66. Texas Southern (14-20)

67. Southeast Mo. St. (1916)

68. Fairleigh Dickinson (19-15)