Where does Kentucky stand in Joe Lunardi's recent Bracketology update?

Kentucky arrived in Columbia carrying baggage: three straight losses, a last-second gut punch at Auburn and a $25,000 Mark Pope invoice from the Southeastern Conference that

The Wildcats failed to convert another hail-Mary, full-court type inbounds play with Malachi Moreno to seal the defeat. The loss also comes despite a career high 29 points on better than 50% shooting and seven rebounds from Otega Oweh.

Kentucky needs to avoid these things on Saturday.

Kentucky was able to flip Minchey, a former Notre Dame QB and four-star recruit, from Nebraska out of the NCAA transfer portal. All signs point to him being QB1 for Stein’s Wildcats in 2026 after backing up CJ Carr in 2025.

Elyjah Freeman converted the game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds left, giving Auburn a 75-74 victory over Kentucky.

Things are starting to spiral for the Kentucky Wildcats late in the season, and Mark Pope is looking for a way to get this ball club back on track as the finish