Latest NCAA projections for Kentucky basketball heading into this week's SEC Tournament

With the regular season over, Kentucky men's basketball turns its attention to the SEC Tournament this week in Nashville, Tennessee, followed by the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats, No. 23 in the Associated Press poll released Monday, enter the SEC Tournament 21-10 overall and 12-6 in the conference. The latter clinched a No. 3 SEC seed for Kentucky, meaning its first game will be late Friday night.

But where might the Wildcats be seeded in the NCAA Tournament?

Kentucky is 20th in the NET rankings but owns six Quad 1 victories — the games most critical in determining a team's NCAA Tournament worthiness. Its latest Quad 1 win came Saturday, an 88-79 triumph overArkansas at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Bracketologists.com, which uses only the NET rankings to predict the NCAA Tournament field, has Kentucky as a No. 5 seed. BracketWAG.com, which released its latest projections Sunday night, has the Wildcats a line lower, as the No. 6 seed in the South Region. Bracketmatrix.com projects the Wildcats' average seed as 6.07, appearing in all 113 of its brackets. 

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NCAA Tournament projections for Kentucky from ESPN

Joe Lunardi, ESPN's bracketology expert, released his latest projection just past midnight Tuesday. He has Kentucky as a 6-seed in the West Region.

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CBS Sports' NCAA Tournament projections for UK basketball

CBS Sports senior writer Jerry Palm unveiled his newest bracket Tuesday morning. He projects the Wildcats as the 7-seed in the South Region.

If Kentucky ends up in the South Region and makes the Sweet 16, it will play at the Yum! Center in Louisville.

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Kentucky NCAA Tournament projections from The Athletic

Tuesday morning, The Athletic posted an updated bracket, with UK as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region.

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What's next for the Kentucky Wildcats?

Kentucky won't know its opponent in Friday's quarterfinals until Thursday wraps up. But UK does know it will be one of three teams: Georgia, LSU or Vanderbilt. A win over the Bulldogs or Tigers would be a Quad 3 win while the Commodores are a Quad 2 club.

That means Kentucky's first opportunity to get another Quad 1 win would be in Saturday's semifinal; all three of its potential opponents (Arkansas, Auburn and Texas A&M) would qualify as such.

Even if Kentucky goes one-and-done in Nashville, it likely will be no worse than a No. 8 seed come Selection Sunday. Win the SEC Tournament title, with two more Quad 1 wins in the process? Then the Wildcats might push for a 5-seed in the NCAAs.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.