Is Kentucky Basketball still in the NCAA Tournament? Taking a look at the Wildcats' March Madness chances following Texas A&M loss
The Kentucky Wildcats' quest to secure the SEC Tournament title went in vain as they lost to the Texas A&M Aggies, 97-87, in the quarterfinal at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday.
The No. 9-ranked Wildcats brought their high-octane offense in the SEC last-eight clash against the Aggies but their defense deserted them and allowed Texas A&M to score 97 points.
The loss essentially ended Kentucky's hopes of getting an outright ticket to the NCAA Tournament as SEC Tournament champions but they still have a chance to get into March Madness as one of the 36 at-large teams.
Is Kentucky still in the NCAA Tournament?
At 23-9, Kentucky is still in contention to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Before losing to Texas A&M, the Wildcats were on a five-game winning streak and those wins were against two Top 25 teams - No. 13 Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee. They also won against No. 4 North Carolina in the regular season.
The John Calipari-coached squad is the second-best offense in the league, averaging 89.4 points per game, and is the best 3-point shooting team at 41.2%.
However, as the old saying goes, offense wins games but defense wins championships and against Texas A&M, Kentucky's defense was not good enough for a perennial NCAA Tournament qualifier. They allowed the Aggies to throw 69 field goal attempts and only forced six turnovers.
Second-chance points were also a factor in Kentucky's loss to Texas A&M. The Wildcats allowed 13 offensive rebounds that turned into 26 second-chance points.
If Kentucky wants to improve its chances of capturing Title No. 9, it has to step up on defense or extend its NCAA championship drought to 12 years.
Since they failed to secure the automatic NCAA Tournament ticket for the SEC, the Wildcats' fate is now up to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
Their win-loss record is good enough to gain a nod from the committee that will select the top 68 teams in the tournament but they will have to determine where they will place the Wildcats.
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Has Kentucky ever won the NCAA title?
The Wildcats have won eight NCAA Tournament titles in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, and 2012. The year 2012 was special for Calipari, as he won the first title of his career.
Who are the likely top four teams for 2024 March Madness?
Based on their game-to-game consistency and weekly polls by the coaches and the Associated Press, Houston, UConn, Purdue, and North Carolina are more likely to be chosen as the top four teams for Selection Sunday.
The four squads have been dominating their conferences since Day One and performed solidly days before the start of March Madness.
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