By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kentucky hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament in two years, including a COVID-marred year in 2020 when nobody played. The Wildcats will make a return as the No. 2 seed in the East when the prestigious event begins Thursday.
The Wildcats (26-7), one of six Southeastern Conference teams in the field, will take on Saint Peter’s for the first time in Indianapolis beginning Thursday at 7:10 p.m. (CBS).
The Peacocks (19-11) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament following a 60-54 win over Monmouth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament finals. Saint Peter’s finished second in the MAAC in the regular season to coach Rick Pitino’s Iona team. Rider stunned Iona in the MAAC tournament.
Coming off a 69-62 loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals Saturday, Kentucky guard Kellan Grady said the Wildcats are ready to step on the big stage following a two-year hiatus.
“Thankfully, we’ve got some time, we know who our opponent is now and we will spend all of our focus and energy (on) Saint Peter’s and try to avoid the distractions of looking ahead,” Grady said. “I think we have the luxury of having a time to reset. … The SEC is in the rearview mirror now, so we gotta reset, touch up on some things, hammer out some of our main points of emphasis and we’ll be good to go.”
Most of Kentucky’s roster has no experience playing in the tournament and Kentucky coach John Calipari is keeping his squad in the moment instead of looking ahead to a potential second-round matchup with Murray State, which has never played UK.
“I’m trying to keep them focused on the little pod, and really basically saying you don’t even need to worry about, San Francisco, or Murray, because we don’t know who’s winning that game,” the Kentucky coach said. “We need to worry about Saint Peter’s and that’s how this goes. You’re playing in a pod for a weekend, that’s all you worry about, nothing else.”
The Racers, a No. 7 seed after going 30-2 including a perfect record in the Ohio Valley Conference, will play San Francisco at 9:40 p.m. (CBS) in Indianapolis. Murray State isn’t looking ahead either.
“It’s a one-game tournament for us,” Murray State coach Matt McMahon said. “Obviously great respect for Coach Cal and the Kentucky program and the tradition and all those great things, but if you don’t win on Thursday, there is no matchup. So it’s a waste of time to worry about hypotheticals and other scenarios.”
Defending national champion Baylor is the No. 1 seed in the East, but Kentucky isn’t looking ahead.
“I think there are a lot of good teams so I’m not gonna try to speculate whether we have an easier region,” Grady said. “I will say one thing, I’m looking at one of my best friends is at Murray State (Carter Collins), so I know there’s a potential that that may happen. There’s a little emotion and I’m happy for him and his team to be in that position. But like I said, we’re focused on Saint Peter’s. We’ll take this game-by-game.”
Overall, six teams from the SEC made the field. Auburn (Midwest) and Kentucky (East) are No. 2 seeds, while Tennessee landed a No. 3 seed in the South Region. LSU (No. 6 Midwest), Arkansas (No. 4 West) and Alabama (No. 6, West) made the field. SEC Tournament runner-up Texas A&M didn’t make the field.
“I was really stunned (Texas A&M didn’t get a bid),” Calipari said. “I guess before our tournament started they weren’t close. That’s hard for me to believe they were 9-9 in our league, and down the stretch they played their best basketball. That’s what I call the eye test.”
Calipari also was surprised Tennessee was given a No, 3 seed.
“That would have put Tennessee, Auburn and us on the two-line, which I would have been fine with that, (Tennessee) probably deserve it,” Calipari said.
Keith Taylor is the sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at Keith.taylor@kentuckytodaycom and via Twitter at keithtaylor21.