Kentucky and Providence face off Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament.
Unlike 2022 when the Wildcats entered March Madness looking like a Final Four contender, this year's team, despite the presence of reigning player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe, is not a favorite to make a deep run. It didn't help they lost twice to Vanderbilt, which didn't make the tournament, in a two-week stretch, including in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
The sixth seed in the East Region, UK (21-11) has a seemingly more difficult path than a year ago and might be a trendy pick for a first-round upset against the 11-seed Friars (21-11, 13-7 Big East).