You can look at Kentucky’s loss to Vanderbilt one of two ways: either as a wake-up call to the most talented team in the nation, or as a bubble-burster – the beginning of the end for the most heralded Kentucky squad in a generation.
But no matter how the Cats respond to being upset in the SEC tournament, their biggest obstacle now is a future SEC East opponent.
Missouri is the best team not coached by John Calipari in the Midwest bracket. The soon-to-be conference rival will open against Detroit in Omaha, and assuming they cruise through that game (as they should), they will face the winner of UNLV and Purdue, either of which will present a test.
Kentucky should breeze through the opening round. Even with the cold shooting they experienced in the second half against Vandy, the Cats can beat Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State. Then they will likely face UConn in a rematch of last year’s Final Four. That will be when we see if the Wildcats can put the disappointment of New Orleans behind them and play like the team that won 32 games this year.
Both Missouri and Kentucky are three wins away from meeting each other. But you can bet that both teams have the other highlighted on their brackets. That will be one to watch.
Florida has a tougher road. They will likely play South Florida and then Indiana, before possibly meeting Syracuse, arguably the second best team in the country and the one team that matches up best against Kentucky. Memphis, Michigan Creighton and Duke are also in the East, so the Gators better light up the three pointers if they hope to advance.
And how does Vandy follow up the greatest athletic achievement in school history? Hopefully by not having a letdown. Long Beach State is a good team prime to pull a first-round upset. But assuming the ‘Dores get past the Beach, Kevin Stallings’ squad will face a red-hot Florida State team that won the ACC in an upset over North Carolina.
The team that beat Kentucky can play with anyone. But it’s always difficult to come back after an emotional victory like the one Vanderbilt had on Sunday.
Alabama has perhaps the best first game of the tournament, a No.9 v. No.8 matchup against Gonzaga. The Tide will be underdogs, but assuming they can get past the Bulldogs, the battle only gets harder as they will face a very ticked off UNC team. You can bet Roy Williams will have the Tar Heels playing at a high level after the loss to FSU. Assuming Alabama makes it that far, they will likely get steamrolled in game two.
