What seems like the most under-the-radar Kentucky team in YEARS and its hated rival from a mere 65+ miles down Interstate 64 have the exact the same seed in the NCAA Tournament.

UK and Louisville both landed 2-seeds--Kentucky in the South and Louisville in Midwest.

And then there's that third team from the Bluegrass State.

Nope, it's not WKU or EKU or Murray or Morehead...you know, the USUAL suspects when it comes to tourney teams that AREN'T the Cards or the Cats.

No, that third team is the Northern Kentucky Norse, from the Cincinnati suburb ('cause, let's be honest...) of Highland Heights, Kentucky.

And just like in 2005 when the NCAA selection committee paired up 15-seed Eastern Kentucky with UK and put 16-seed Western Kentucky into UK's path in 2012, that merry band of seed scrubbers has done it again and sent the Norse into the South region as a 15-seed against...yep, the Kentucky Wildcats.

Quick, someone get a Division I school started called SOUTHERN Kentucky then get it eligible for the post-season so IT can play UK in the Big Dance, too!

By the way, Kentucky's 2017 appearance is its record-extending 56th. Louisville's 42nd NCAA Tournament bid places it 5th on the all-time list.

Neither has a particularly easy way out of its respective regions and into the Final Four, but I'd submit that Louisville would have a little better shot against Midwest 1-seed Kansas than Kentucky would against South 1-seed North Carolina.

And, I only say that because of revenge games.

Kentucky beat North Carolina 103-100 back in December in one of the most exciting basketball games I've ever seen.

BUT...the Tarheels were not at full strength and now they are.

Should it be a 1 vs. 2 in the South regional final, well...

And that assumes Kentucky gets past South 3-seed UCLA which already beat the Cats--in Rupp--also in December.

Of course, if my "revenge-game theory" were to hold, then Kentucky--a better Kentucky team than the ones the Bruins edged by 5 before Christmas--would have a decent chance to win that game in advance.

I love the tournament!

And, if you DON'T, you certainly WOULD if you won the WBKR 2017 Million Dollar Bracket Challenge sponsored by Spudz-n-Stuff.

Enjoy March Madness...and GOOD LUCK!

 

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