Kentucky's goal of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 is still achievable. This week, the sixth-ranked Wildcats have outlasted SEC rivals No. 25 Alabama and LSU at home, and done so without starting guards TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler, who've been sidelined due to injury.
Naturally, head coach John Calipari believes that his team is playing as well as any other program in the country. With an overall record of 23-5 (12-3 in SEC) and the third-highest NET ranking, the assertion isn't bold. Kentucky has the talent to make another deep tournament run, and CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm holds them in high regard.
"Very dangerous, especially if they ever get healthy. Because, it seems like they always have somebody out," Palm told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Friday. "Right now, it's their starting backcourt: Wheeler and Washington. They're still winning without those guys, but it's difficult to build consistency and chemistry when you're always missing someone from your lineup. And it hasn't been the same guys all the time, but lately, it's their guards.
"Kentucky's good enough to win the whole thing, and a healthy Kentucky is definitely good enough to win the whole thing. The committee had them No. 6 overall, they went into Kansas and slaughtered them at Phog Allen. That's the best win anybody has this year, without question... At their best, they're fantastic. And even not at their best, they're still very good -- and by not at their best, I mean not at full-strength with the roster."
The entire bracketology conversation between Palm and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.