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Where is Kentucky basketball in latest NCAA Tournament projections?

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LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball‘s road loss to Florida last week didn’t help in the SEC standings, as the Wildcats fell another game behind in the race to win the regular-season title and the top seed in the league tournament.

But the setback to the Gators did little to affect UK’s projected NCAA Tournament seeding.

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On the contrary: Kentucky‘s projected seeding improved.

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Kentucky Wildcats host Georgia Bulldogs at Rupp Arena. See photos

Feb 17, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Blue Cain (0) drives to the basket around Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

On Feb. 10, Bracket Matrix listed UK’s average seed as 6.71. That average now is up to 6.57, as of Feb. 18, with the Wildcats appearing in every bracket (124 in all) compiled by the site.

After Tuesday’s loss to Georgia, Kentucky’s NET ranking was 30.

Bracketville published its latest bracket Feb. 17 and put UK and coach Mark Pope in the West Region as the 6-seed. The site predicts the Wildcats will head to San Diego, taking on the winner of a First Four matchup between 11-seeds UCLA and Santa Clara. Bracketologists.com, which seeds its bracket on NET rankings alone, updated its projections Feb. 17 and listed Kentucky as a No. 8 seed, wrestling with ninth-seeded Wisconsin.

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Here’s a look at Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament résumé as of Feb. 18, as well as projections from a variety of national outlets:

Kentucky basketball’s resume, NET ranking

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Kentucky basketball plays Florida Gators. See game day photos

Feb 14, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) drives to the basket past Florida Gators guard Boogie Fland (0) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

NET ranking: 30

KenPom ranking: 31

Quad 1 record: 5-7

Quad 2 record: 3-2

Quad 3 record: 2-0

Quad 4 record: 7-0

Where ESPN projects Kentucky basketball in NCAA Tournament

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Kentucky Wildcats host Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena. See photos

Kentucky’s forward Mouhamed Dioubate (23) and Jasper Johnson (2) celebrate beating Tennessee at Rupp Arena Saturday night.
Feb. 7, 2026

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi unveiled his newest bracket Feb. 17. He predicted Kentucky will be the 6-seed in the West Region, squaring off with 11-seed Southern Cal in Oklahoma City.

CBS Sports Kentucky basketball bracketology for NCAA Tournament

CBS Sports published its newest projections Feb. 18. CBS placed UK in the East Region the No. 6 seed, meeting 11-seed (and still undefeated) Miami of the Mid-American Conference.

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The Athletic bracketology for UK basketball

Joe Rexrode, a senior writer for The Athletic, published projections for the site that went live Feb. 17. Rexrode slotted the Wildcats in the South Region as the 7-seed. He prognosticates a blue-blood battle versus 10th-seeded UCLA in Oklahoma City.

Kentucky basketball bracketology from NCAA.com

Andy Katz, a college basketball analyst for NCAA.com, released his most recent bracket Feb. 17. He also has a first-round matchup of Kentucky/UCLA, with the Wildcats as the 6-seed and the Bruins the 11-seed in the West Region.

What’s next for Kentucky basketball

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Kentucky basketball hosts Oklahoma Sooners. See photos from the game

Kentucky’s guard Collin Chandler (5) celebrated making a three against Oklahoma Wednesday night at Rupp Arena.
Feb. 4, 2026

Kentucky’s next game will be a chance at a Quad 1 victory, as it travels to Auburn for an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff Saturday.

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It’s back on the road three days later, trekking to Columbia, South Carolina, to take on USC. That contest will be a Quad 2 contest for the Wildcats given the Gamecocks’ NET rating.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball March Madness projections, UK NCAA Tournament seed

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