Cats Illustrated writers share takes on Kentucky's draw in the Midwest Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Jeff Drummond: Without suggesting that Kentucky is going to march through this bracket, I think the matchups came out favorable for the the first weekend. The Wildcats should be able to handle Troy in the opener, and all of the teams in a potential second-round matchup (Illinois, Texas, Xavier) have been up-and-down this season. If Mark Pope can navigate those two games and make a Sweet 16 in his first season -- to go along with huge rivalry wins like Duke, Louisville, and Tennessee -- I think this season would be viewed as a big success and major building block for UK's future. Beyond the Sweet 16, the Midwest is loaded. Houston might be the best team in the country, and Tennessee is playing really well right now. I think it would be difficult to beat the Vols three times in one season.
David Sisk: This is an interesting bracket because there are so many unknowns. Troy lost to Oregon by 21, and to Arkansas by 16. That is the only high major teams they played. Even despite having Tayton Conerway, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, SEC athleticism is going to be different and too much. Texas/Illinois is going to be very intriguing. The Horns are unpredictable, and Illinois and Kentucky have had more injury issues than anybody. A Sweet 16 would be a major step for Mark Pope in year one. In fact, that is what he will be measured by. Then there is a potential third matchup with Tennessee in that round. Losing that one would be Big Blue Nation’s nightmare even though it would be the first Sweet 16 in six years. So there are lots of mixed feelings on my part right now.
Travis Graf: Kentucky really couldn’t ask for a better draw, and Troy is a team they really need to take care of business against to get Mark Pope his first tournament win. I actually like Xavier to beat Texas and Illinois due to elite outside shooting, and I think they could give Kentucky some fits too, but the Cats should make the second weekend, which would be a massive thing for the fanbase. Playing Tennessee in the S16 is probably the best case scenario out of two seed matchups, as the Vols have struggled with Kentucky. Get to the second weekend and you’ve got a puncher’s chance to make things happen with a healthy Lamont Butler.
Justin Rowland: I know everybody says March is "all about matchups" and I'm sure it's true, matchups matter a ton. But the most important thing is that your team is right, ready, and playing at a high level no matter who is on the other side. The blowout minus Butler against Alabama aside, Kentucky has done pretty well for a team that has been losing and getting players back only to lose them again for a long time this year. Overall, the draw looks good. You're more concerned about the status of Butler and how Kentucky is going to play with him than you are concerned about Troy, although you can't take it for granted. But then in the second round all bets are off because Illinois would be a challenge and we've seen them lose to Texas. Basically, I think the brackets are fun to talk about but unless there's something truly daunting or a proven bad matchup in the first couple of rounds I don't think it's all that noteworthy. Given that UK has beaten Tennessee twice and Houston may be a bad matchup but isn't Alabama or Auburn, it could have been a lot worse.
