Joe Lunardi: Kentucky Would be 'Completely Out of NCAA Field' With Loss to Georgia

The Wildcats cannot afford a road loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon inside Stegeman Coliseum.

Selection Sunday is just over one month away. 

After beginning the season as the No. 4 team in the nation, Kentucky is now uncertain whether or not it'll hear its name called to enter the NCAA Tournament on March 12.

John Calipari's Wildcats have teetered around the bubble for the past month, but a 15-point loss to Arkansas in Lexington on Tuesday night sent UK right to the edge of the 68-team field. 

The latest projections entering the weekend have the Cats making a trip to Dayton for the First Four. 

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Kentucky as the next-to-last team in, with a lot riding on its game at Georgia on Saturday afternoon. 

"The Wildcats, pre-season national title contenders, would drop completely out of the projected NCAA field with another loss," Lunardi wrote on Friday. 

If the current projections were to hold true, UK would take on the New Mexico Lobos, coached by Richard Pitino, the son of former Wildcats skipper Rick Pitino. A win in Dayton would lead to an 11-seeded Kentucky playing a six-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes team in Orlando. 

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm currently paints a similar picture. His current projections have Kentucky taking on Wisconsin in the First Four, with a win meaning a trip to Sacramento, Calif. to take on San Diego State in the Round of 64. 

Looking over at bracketmatrix.com — a website that compiles NCAA Tournament projections — an 11-seed holds true. The Wildcats have just seven games left in the regular season, so another couple of losses could spell disaster if Calipari and Co. wish to kick a three-year skid without a tourney victory.

It all starts with a road tilt in Athens this weekend. Tipoff between UK and UGA is set for noon EST. Stegeman Coliseum will host the desperate Wildcats as they seek a season-sweep over the Dawgs — who've won just one game since the first matchup between the two in Lexington on Jan. 17.

Betting lines have been released, and Kentucky is a somewhat-heavy favorite away from home. The Action Network has UK as an eight-point favorite, the largest spread the Cats have been favored by since their last game against UGA.

UK may once again have injury issues on its hands down the stretch. More HERE.

More on the loss to Arkansas HERE.

More on Daimion Collins HERE.

Game notes from the defeat can be found HERE.

Everything John Calipari said after the loss HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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