Results Around SEC Continue to Invalidate Kentucky

A loss for the Razorbacks, heartbreak in Knoxville and more dictate where Kentucky may actually stand amongst a conference that has been far from great this season.

It may seem hard to believe, but Kentucky's chances at nabbing one of the top four seeds and receiving a double-bye in the SEC Tournament somehow improved after a wild weekend in the Southeastern Conference. 

The Wildcats suffered defeat yet again, this time losing 78-65 to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Down two guards, UK couldn't rally the troops to get by one of the bottom-half teams in the SEC.

More on Kentucky's loss to Georgia here.

Coach John Calipari's Cats are now likely on the wrong side of the bubble. With six games left in the regular season, hope is dwindling that one final turnaround is capable of being pulled off in Lexington, getting the "gold standard" into the NCAA Tournament. Losing to Georgia cements that feeling. 

Not only was the defeat to the Bulldogs another brutal blow to whatever confidence was still available for the Wildcats — who lost by 15 points earlier in the week to Arkansas at home — but other results around the conference continued to invalidate the flimsy résumé that UK carries: 

• South Carolina 64, Ole Miss 61
• Alabama 77, Auburn 69 
• Vanderbilt 88, Florida 80 
• Mississippi State 70, Arkansas 64
• Missouri 86, Tennessee 85
• Texas A&M 74, LSU 62

For context, here's the SEC standings after action on Feb. 11: 

1. Alabama (12-0) 

2. Texas A&M (10-2) 

3. Tennessee (8-4) 

T4. Missouri, Auburn, Kentucky (7-5) 

T7. Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Florida (6-6) 

T10. Georgia, Mississippi State (5-7) 

T12. Ole Miss, South Carolina (2-10) 

14. LSU (1-11)

For starters, Kentucky was the only road team to lose on Saturday. Beyond that, the first result i'd point you towards is what happened in Fayetteville. 

Arkansas, who entered its game against Mississippi State fresh off the aforementioned bulldozing of UK, suffered a loss to Mississippi State inside Bud Walton Arena. The Bulldogs fully separated themselves from the bottom of the pack in the conference, shooting almost 50 percent en route to their fifth win in a row.

Kentucky's next stop? Starkville.

Moving over to Knoxville, the Wildcats are no longer the only team to hold a road win over the Tennessee Volunteers. After a missed free throw and a lane violation, Missouri took advantage as DeAndre Gholston heaved and landed a moving 3-pointer to beat the buzzer, stunning Thompson-Boling Arena. 

It's the second game in a row that the Vols have fallen at the buzzer, as Vanderbilt did the same earlier this week in Nashville. Tennessee has now lost three of four games and is no longer in contention for a one-seed in March Madness. 

That win is all Kentucky has to hang its hat on, but it no longer holds the same "wow" factor. 

Perhaps the most damning result of them all came in Oxford. South Carolina slayed Ole Miss to garner just its second conference win of the year, with the first of course coming inside Rupp Arena on Jan. 10. 

Ole Miss entered the game just a few days removed from defeating...you guessed it, Georgia. That game took place in...you guessed it...Athens. Both the Rebels and the Vanderbilt Commodores have won in Stegeman Coliseum this season, yet UK came quite short. 

These are all teams that aren't sniffing the NCAA Tournament, so where does that place the Wildcats? 

Earning a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament is still a very realistic possibility, but Kentucky will have to get rolling in its last three weeks of the regular season.

More on what lies ahead for Kentucky HERE. 

More on the loss to the Bulldogs HERE.

More on Wheeler and Fredrick's status HERE.

Game notes from the defeat can be found HERE.

WATCH: John Calipari speaks after loss to UGA.

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.

Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here