ESPN predicts Kentucky's chances of making the Final Four

Can Kentucky make a Final Four run in year one under Mark Pope?

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope instructs his team against Western Kentucky during their game Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. on Nov. 26, 2024 / Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are off to a 7-0 start, but the schedule is about to get much tougher. This week alone, the Cats have two Quad 1 games against Clemson and Gonzaga, both away from Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats have one of the toughest remaining schedules in all of college basketball, so the tail end of non-conference play and SEC play will be a gauntlet.

Early into the season, Kentucky has turned some heads, and the Wildcats are already ranked #4 in all of college basketball.

ESPN's analytics gave a percentage chance for Kentucky's run in the NCAA Tournament, and it should have Big Blue Nation excited. Kentucky's chances of making the round of 32 are 88.9%. Their chances of making the Sweet 16 are 55.1%. The chances Coach Pope's team makes the Elite 8 are 29.1%. Kentucky has the ninth-best odds of making the Final Four, with a percentage of 14.1. Lastly, their chances to make the National Championship game are 6.8%, and their chances to win it are 3%.

All of these numbers have increased a lot since the beginning of the season, which means the analytics are starting to buy into Coach Pope's team.

This basketball team also has something which isn't accounted for in analytics which is a ton of veteran leadership. The Wildcats are one of the oldest teams in college hoops which will go a long way under the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament. This team has a real shot to do something special in year one of a new regime.