COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After Kentucky staged a mountainous comeback to upset West Virginia, coach John Calipari predicted a rematch while poking the NCAA selection committee.
“We will face each other in the NCAA tournament,” he said. “There is no question they’ll put us in the same bracket, because they don’t want two of us to advance. So we’re gonna play each other.”
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi believes in the Coach Cal prophecy. Monday’s newly revised bracketology projections show West Virginia as a No. 4 seed in the South Region with Kentucky sitting at a No. 5, setting up a potential second-round rematch.
Why not have a do-over? After watching the Mountaineers set the Coliseum ablaze by building an 18-point lead, and then watching Kevin Knox play fire extinguisher with 34 points, I’d welcome a sequel. Kentucky’s freshman, presumably, would be more seasoned, and Esa Ahmad, presumably, would show up.
Both teams sport 16-5 records, with West Virginia’s RPI at 32 and Kentucky up to 12th.
In the new AP poll released Monday afternoon, the Wildcats resurfaced at No. 21 and the Mountaineers tumbled eight spots to 15th.
Jerry Palm of CBS projects the Mountaineers in an always-perilous 5-12 first-round matchup against Buffalo. That would be a rematch of the 2014 opener in Columbus, Ohio.
After losing four of five, the Mountaineers will be favored in their next two games. Wednesday night they visit Ames where Iowa State already has four home losses this season, and then Saturday Kansas State comes to Morgantown.