UK women begin SEC Tournament play Thursday. Take a look at the Wildcats’ draw.
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team’s loss to Mississippi on Sunday cost more than just the good vibes that would have been generated by a Senior Day win.
When the 19th-ranked Wildcats collapsed in the second half and fell to the Rebels 73-69 in Memorial Coliseum, they dropped to fifth place in the Southeastern Conference standings. As the No. 5 seed, Kentucky (16-7 overall, 9-6 SEC) will play a second-round game in the SEC Tournament. Had the Cats beaten the Rebels and ended up the No. 4 seed, they would have earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals. Instead, Georgia earned the No. 4 seed with a win at Florida on Sunday.
The Wildcats, now ranked 17th, will open SEC Tournament play in Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., in the second game of Thursday’s afternoon session, about 25 minutes after the conclusion of the 11 a.m. matchup between No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Mississippi State. UK will face the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between No. 12 Florida and No. 13 Auburn.
Because Vanderbilt in January canceled the remainder of its season due to COVID-19, opt-outs and injuries, the Gators-Tigers matchup is the only first-round game in this year’s tournament.
Kentucky scored road wins over both Florida and Auburn this season. The Cats beat the Tigers 76-71 on Jan. 21 behind a big game from junior guard Blair Green, who scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting and hit two of three shots from three-point range. UK erased a six-point deficit and knocked off Florida 88-80 on Feb. 15, with Rhyne Howard scoring 31 points and grabbing nine boards to lead the way.
If the Wildcats survive Thursday’s contest, they’ll meet Georgia in Friday’s second quarterfinals matchup, about 25 minutes after the conclusion of the 11 a.m. game. A potential meeting with No. 1 Texas A&M looms in Saturday’s semifinals. The Aggies won the SEC regular-season championship by defeating South Carolina at home Sunday.
Kentucky beat Georgia on the road on Feb. 25 thanks to another big game from Howard, who scored 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Texas A&M beat the Wildcats 77-60 in College Station on Jan. 7, outrebounding UK 35-26 and shooting 48 percent from the field.
South Carolina, which won last year’s SEC Tournament and five of the last six, is the No. 2 seed. UK could potentially face the Gamecocks in Sunday’s finals.
The Wildcats lost both matchups with South Carolina this season, hanging tough all game long in a 75-70 loss in Lexington on Jan. 10, then falling by 21 in Columbia on Feb. 21.
Cats still a top-16 NCAA seed?
The NCAA on Sunday revealed its projected top 16 seeds for the 2021 postseason tournament and like they were when the first projections were released two weeks ago, the Wildcats were given a No. 4 seed. They were ranked No. 14 overall.
But UK might have some work to do in order to make that prediction reality, since Sunday’s games — including the Cats’ loss to Mississippi — were not factored in.
Kentucky was placed in the same region as projected No. 1 seed Texas A&M, No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 UCLA. If both teams won their first-round game, UK and Texas A&M would meet in the second round.
For the past few years, teams which earn top 16 seeds have played at home in the first two rounds of the tournament. This year however, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the entire NCAA Tournament will be played in the San Antonio area. The last four rounds will be at the Alamodome.
Connecticut, Stanford and South Carolina were the other projected No. 1 seeds. Louisville was placed in Stanford’s region as the No. 3 seed.
Other SEC teams projected to be among the top 16 seeds were Georgia (No. 3), Arkansas (4) and Tennessee (4). The NCAA will unveil the official bracket on March 15.
SEC Tournament
When: Wednesday-Sunday
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
TV: SEC Network (first round through quarterfinals); ESPNU (Saturday’s semifinals); ESPN2 (Sunday’s finals)
This story was originally published February 28, 2021 at 7:26 PM.
