Players to watch, keys to the game for Kentucky vs. Santa Clara

March 8, 2026; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Santa Clara Broncos guard Christian Hammond (1) dribbles the basketball against Pacific Tigers guard TJ Wainwright (10) during the first half at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Here. We.

Go. Ian Eagle said it best: Anything can happen in March. Kentucky enters the NCAA Tournament as a No.

7 seed. Not what any of us expected, but in March, seeds do not matter. They matter in some regards, but in the overall grand scheme of things, they don’t.

What matters is playing a better 40 minutes than your opponent, one game at a time, over six total games. The Cats have the opportunity to salvage their season by making a run in the NCAA Tournament. It’s there for the taking, in a Midwest Region that is wide open.