CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander re-ranked the Sweet 16 teams and you might, or might not, be surprised that Kentucky is used as the headliner for the article.
They aren’t in the top 10, but that really hasn’t become the story.
Take a look at the reasoning why Norlander below Loyola-Chicago and Nevada at #11:
Actual seed: No. 5 in the South Regional. Think UK is too low? For reference, it ranks as the 10th best team of the 16 left at KenPom. The 26-10 Wildcats being 11th here speaks to how tight this field is between No. 4 and No. 12. Kentucky got a scare from Davidson and then ran away from Buffalo. John Calipari’s squad has been able to win all but one game in the past month because its 3-point defense is the best of any team in the field. UK holds foes to 29.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Regular season wins over tournament teams: Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee.
Read “Sweet 16: Re-seeding the 2018 NCAA Tournament field; Kentucky not in top 10” by clicking here.
John Calipari had some thoughts on his radio show when asked about Norlander’s rankings and spoke about them this evening.
Calipari asked about @MattNorlander ranking UK outside the top 10 among remaining tournament teams. Says he loves it, might be more hope than opinion. (shots fired)
— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) March 19, 2018
He added more about the media and how they don’t want Kentucky to succeed.
Calipari tells his players, re: the media who say this team can't advance, "Do you think that's their hope or their opinion? … It's their hope."
— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) March 19, 2018
Calipari still ripping the media, saying they're overly negative to get Kentucky fans riled up for clicks and to dominate conversation.
— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) March 19, 2018
