Kentucky earns 3-seed, starts NCAA journey against Troy in Milwaukee

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Riding the strength of 11 Quad I victories earned in the formidable Southeastern Conference, the University of Kentucky was rewarded with a 3-seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Sunday.

The Wildcats (22-11) will open against Troy on Friday in the Midwest Regional. If UK wins, the Wildcats will play Illinois or the winner of the Texas/Xavier game. Houston is the top seed in the Midwest.

UK finished in a three-way tied for sixth place in the SEC. After opening with a victory against Oklahoma, the Wildcats lost to Alabama, 99-70, in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday night in Nashville.

Troy (23-10) finished in a four-way tie for first in the Sun Belt Conference but won the league tournament. The Wildcats are projected as a 12-point favorite at Ken Pomeroy's analytics web site.

In three games against power conference schools, Troy lost to Arkansas by 16, Oregon by 21 and Houston by 20.

In his first season at UK, coach Mark Pope is chasing his first NCAA Tournament victory. Pope is 0-2, losing to lower seeded teams in both NCAA appearances.

In 2021, Pope’s BYU team, a 6-seed, was upset by UCLA, 73-62. Last season BYU was also a 6-seed when the Cougars stumbled against Duquesne, 71-67.

Kentucky will try to wash away the tournament sting from last season. The Wildcats, a 3-seed, suffered a jarring, 80-76 upset against Oakland, the 14-seed champions of the Horizon League. Oakland guard Jack Gohlke made 10 of 20 three-point shots while scoring 32 points to fuel the upset.

That loss, along with a first-round stumble against 15-seed Saint Peter’s in 2022 and a second-round loss to Kansas State in 2023 increased the criticism around former UK coach John Calipari, who later made the surprising decision to become the coach at Arkansas.

With victories over Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, Tennessee (twice) and Missouri, Kentucky was seeded like a team that the tournament selection committee believes is capable of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. The SEC set a record by placing 14 teams in the 68-team field.

Although the Wildcats will be without injured guards Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Krissa, UK should have team leader Lamont Butler, who missed the Alabama game with an injured shoulder.