Kentucky’s men’s basketball team is set to face Providence in the first round of the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. The game will take place on Friday at 7:10 PM ET in Greensboro, N.C. and will be aired on CBS. The Wildcats are seeded sixth while the Friars are eleventh.
Providence has former Kentucky forward Bryce Hopkins on its roster, who will face his former team for the first time since transferring to Providence after his freshman season in Lexington. The Friars also have two other SEC transfers on their roster, Noah Locke from Florida and Devin Carter from South Carolina.
Kentucky has won all three of their previous matchups against Providence, with the most recent win in 2014. The Wildcats have a 7-7 record this season against teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2-1 record against East Region teams. This is the first time Kentucky has been seeded sixth since 1982, when they lost to Middle Tennessee in the first round.
Kentucky has won six out of seven NCAA Tournament games played in North Carolina and has never played in Greensboro before. The Wildcats are one of eight SEC schools in the tournament and will be joined by (1) Alabama, (4) Tennessee, (7) Texas A&M, (7) Missouri, (8) Arkansas, (9) Auburn, and (11) Mississippi State.
Kentucky had a rough start to their season, but finished strong, winning 11 of their last 14 SEC games to finish with a 21-11 overall record. The Wildcats hold the record for most NCAA Tournament appearances and games played and are second in wins, with a .709 winning percentage.
Here is the full bracket breakdown. Click here.
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