Wrapping Up

1.  Michigan finished as the Number 1 team on Ken Pom.  Their Net Rating of +39.70 is the highest in his dataset, which goes back to 1997.  They were Number 78 in luck.

2.  UConn finished as the Number 9 team on Ken Pom, and ranked 45 in luck.

3.  Florida was the top-ranked team in the SEC.  They finished Number 6 on Ken Pom, and number 295 in luck.  Last year they were 100 in luck.

4.  Vandy finished Number 11 on Ken Pom, and number 177 in luck.  It's their highest final rating in Ken Pom's dataset.  It's also the first time in the dataset that Vandy has finished the year ranked ahead of every other school in Kentucky and Tennessee.

5.  Kentucky finished number 29 on Ken Pom, and number 213 in luck.  Here are UK's teams since 2019, the last time the Cats reached a Regional Final:

2020:  25-6 (15-3 in the SEC) (29 on Ken Pom) (No NCAA Tournament)

2021:  9-16 (8-9) (49) (missed the NCAA Tournament)

2022:  26-8 (14-4) (6) (eliminated in the first round by St. Peter's)

2023:  22-12 (12-6) (27) (eliminated in the second round by Kansas St.)

2024:  23-10 (13-5) (23) (eliminated in the first round by Oakland)

2025:  24-12 (10-8) (16) (eliminated in the Regional Semi-Final by Tennessee)

2026:  22-14 (10-8) (29) (eliminated in the second round by Iowa St.)

The NYT has UK ranked number 19 in its Way Too Early Top 25.  I think that's about where they will be ranked when the season starts next year.  I don't think that's where they will finish.

6.  This was the 51st time I have watched the NCAA Tournament since I became a UK fan in early 1975.  If you give each team 1 point for every appearance in the Regional Semi-Finals over that period, 2 points for each appearance in the Regional Finals, 4 points for each appearance in the National Semi-Finals, 8 points for each appearance in the National Final, and 16 points for each National Championship, then the top ten teams of this era look like this:

1.  Duke:  295 (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)

2.  N. Carolina:  287 (1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017)

3.  Kentucky:  237 (1978, 1996, 1998, 2012)

4.  Connecticut:  228 (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024)

5.  Kansas:  192 (1988, 2008, 2022)

6.  Michigan:  154 (1989, 2026)

7.  Louisville:  149 (1980, 1986, 2013)

8.  U.C.L.A.:  141 (1975, 1995)

9.  Michigan St:  139 (1979, 2000)

10.  Florida:  136 (2006, 2007, 2025)

And that wraps up the 2026 NCAA Basketball Season, which was a great one.