The defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats took a huge step toward getting their ticket punched for the NCAA tournament with a win over Florida last weekend. The win gave the Wildcats something they were missing -- a top-5 BPI win. While the selection committee will evaluate Kentucky without Nerlens Noel, the reality is that two of the team's most significant wins -- against Florida and Missouri -- have taken place after Noel's injury.
It's by no means a sure thing that this win over the Gators will earn the Wildcats a spot in the at-large field, but there's a case to be made that this team deserves an NCAA tournament bid regardless of how the Wildcats finish in the SEC tournament. (You can see the semifinals and final Saturday and Sunday on ABC).
How do the Wildcats stack up against some fellow bubble teams, and can they win a game or two if they do make the field? Let's take a look.
To read Seth Greenberg's full take on whether Kentucky deserves to be in the NCAA tournament, you must be an ESPN Insider.
Seth Greenberg
ESPN Insider- Joined ESPN as a college basketball analyst in 2012
- Previously the head coach at Virginia Tech, South Florida and Long Beach State
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College Basketball Experts
Fran Fraschilla is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at New Mexico, St. John's and Manhattan.
Joe Lunardi is the resident bracketologist for ESPN.
Seth Greenberg is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at Virginia Tech, South Florida and Long Beach State.
