Kentucky is up to a No. 2 seed in ESPN's latest Bracketology Report

John Calipari's Wildcats are rolling into SEC play, and ESPN thinks they could be named a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday.

SEC play begins on Saturday, January 6, and that will be what determines not only the hierarchy within the conference but also how these programs are seeded in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Kentucky Wildcats are 10-2 heading into Saturday's road tilt against the Florida Gators (10-3) and are expected to battle Tennessee to be the conference's regular season champion.

Kentucky's loss to UNC-Wilmington is the only blemish on an otherwise sparkling resume, and Joe Lunardi of ESPN is coming around to the Wildcats after listing them as a No. 2 seed in his most recent bracketology report.

Kentucky is slotted in the South region where they'd open up in Memphis against Drexel, the projected automatic qualifier out of the Coastal Athletic Association.

Their pod features a fun in-state rivalry as the 7-10 matchup between No. 7 Utah and No. 10 Utah State, and either program would boast a challenge for Calipari and the 'Cats - with Utah led by Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate Branden Carlson while Utah State is currently 13-1 and boasts a top 50 defense in the country.

The South Region also features Houston as the No. 1 seed and recent opponent North Carolina as the No. 3 seed, with a pair of SEC foes in the region as well in Auburn (5) and Florida (11).

Kentucky, Auburn, and Florida are three of the SEC's nine teams projected in the field, which leads all conferences. The other six are as follows: Tennessee (2) Alabama (6) Texas A&M (7) Ole Miss (8) Mississippi State (10) and South Carolina (11).

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