ESPN's Jay Bilas makes his NCAA Tournament prediction for Kentucky

[ASFN Admin]

The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team will try to bust a lot of brackets in the NCAA Tournament this year, staring Friday with Santa Clara. It's a popular upset pick, as the Broncos are very good in areas where Kentucky is weak, like rebounding and defending the perimeter.

Injuries and inconsistent play have hampered the Wildcats all season, leading to them starting March Madness as a No. 7 seed, a spot they aren't used to being in. Getting to the Sweet 16 and beyond will be difficult, and very few think they have a run in them.

Predicting the NCAA Tournament is a time-honored tradition. Fans and experts alike test their prognosticating powers every year, and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas has now given his thoughts on how things will play out, including how Kentucky will do.

Bilas has concerns about the Cats in round one, but picks them to win.

Kentucky is banged up and inconsistent, and Santa Clara is big, skilled and has positional size at almost every position. To be clear: Kentucky could very well get upset here. I'm picking the Wildcats, though, assuming Otega Oweh has another big game.

If Kentucky does win in round one, they will likely face a massive task in round two. Iowa State has been a top five team at times this year, and would be heavily favored to move on. Bilas agrees.

Kentucky is wounded and a bit worn down. Iowa State has Joshua Jefferson, one of the most versatile and talented point forwards in the game -- who happens to be averaging career highs in points (16.9), rebounds (7.6) and assists (4.9) as a sophomore. Advance Iowa State.

It would be a logical ending to a disappointing season if it played out this way, and even Kentucky fans will likely agree with Bilas. The rest of his predictions, including his Final Four and national champion, can be found here.

This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky basketball NCAA Tournament prediction from Jay Bilas

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