Kentucky took a drop in the NET Rankings after losing to Florida in Rupp Arena
Kentucky just dropped a Quad 2 game at home against the Florida Gators.
The NET Rankings are a very important metric that the NCAA Tournament Committee takes into account when they are making the bracket in March. You want to have an excellent record in Quad 1 and 2 games while also not having lost any Quad 3/4 games. Kentucky has a Quad 3 loss (UNC Wilmington) and a losing record in Quad 1 games, so they need to start winning some Quad 1 games to help with seeding.
Let's take a look at Kentucky's 2023-24 record broken up into Quad's.
Quad 1: 2-3
Quad 2: 3-1
Quad 3: 5-1
Quad 4: 5-0
The Cats were 21st in the NET Rankings heading into the matchup with Florida, but after the loss, they dropped to 25th. Kentucky needs to stretch some Quad 1 wins together and fast. Luckily, they will have plenty of opportunities left to do just that.
Coach John Calipari had this to say about the injuries and prepping for the Tennessee game, "I don't know about if we will have a full roster. But, you know, we have got no choice. They are coming in. They're really good. They're really veteran. They have got a couple really guys that can just break you down and score. Rick does a great job. You know, like, this -- if anybody watched this game, they were -- this was a fun game to watch. It was not a fun game to coach. But to watch the game and how the guys went at each other and, you know, wide open kind of game and they broke us down. Their guard was able to jump over our guards and I thought we fouled a couple jump shooters. Again, that's four points. In a game like that, that is huge."
