Kentucky checked off number thirty on Tuesday night, rallying back from nine points down to beat Georgia and move to 30-0 on the season. This was the Wildcats first gut check victory in a while as they faced their largest second half deficit of the year, before clamping down defensively and putting together a 14-0 run to put away a Bulldgos team itching for the upset.
This was another test of the mental toughness of John Calipari’s freshmen laden squad and yet again they passed with flying colors. With one regular season game to play, the SEC finale at home to Florida, eyes are already beginning towards tournament play to find a team who have what it takes to beat the Wildcats. While this is obviously a daunting task, here are five squads who could beat Kentucky by playing their best game of the season in March.
Wisconsin
The most obvious pick on this list is the Wisconsin Badgers. To beat Kentucky the first key is to not beat yourself. This is something that the Badgers do better than just about anyone else in the country. Their 7.5 turnovers per game is comfortably the best such statistic in the nation, while the Badgers make over 75% of their free throws as a team. You simply cannot give Kentucky extra possessions, or come away empty at the line, and Wisconsin is well equipped to avoid those mistakes.
Additionally in Frank Kaminsky and his 18 points per game they have a legitimate star who can match up down low with Kentucky’s athletic bigs. Kaminsky is one of the two best players in the country and a versatile seven-footer is not something the Wildcats have had to deal with in conference play. This is the one team which Kentucky should be most worried about facing in a one off game.
Virginia
A theme will quickly become apparent here as Virginia are another team who get wins by not beating themselves. The Cavaliers are the only team who rank ahead of Kentucky in the Kenpom rankings for adjusted defensive efficiency and somehow managed to keep three opponents under 30 points in games so far this season. This kind of smothering defensive pressure is needed to keep Kentucky off balance and keep the Wildcats from getting easy looks and fast break points.
Another component of this high efficiency defense is that the Cavaliers are deep. The may not be Kentucky deep, but Virginia have ten players who average ten minutes or more per game. This allows the defense to stay fresh and focused as players are able to be consistently rotated in and out with little drop off in ability and intensity. To beat Kentucky you have to stop them scoring, Virginia does that as well as anyone in the nation.
Arizona
Arizona might just be the most difficult team to figure out on this list. Two of their three losses were to the 7th placed team in the Mountain West (UNLV) and a bad Pac-12 team (Oregon State). On their day though the desert version of the Wildcats have the horses to run with any team in the country, and that includes Kentucky.
Arizona is third in the adjusted defensive standings, but they like to play a much more up tempo and free flowing game than the likes of Wisconsin and Virginia. With six players averaging over nine points per game this is a team which can get hot and score in a hurry, while not needing their best players to be on fire to carry them to a victory.
Arizona is unique on this list because of the size and athleticism of their wings. With three forwards, all over six-feet-six, who can score at will, this is a team who can score AND defend against Kentucky. Freshmen sensation Stanley Johnson will be able to mix it physically with Kentucky and his defensive ability will give the Wildcats fits.
Duke
Duke is always going to find its way onto lists like this because any team coached by Mike Krzyzewski is capable of beating anyone in the nation. Duke is a battle tested team who took on all comers in the non-conference slate before the rigors of the ACC set in. The relative conference strength, even with the SEC being up this year, cannot be overlooked seeing as how Kentucky has breezed to numerous wins against severely outclassed opponents.
Duke also has the luxury of having the other one of the best two players in the country at their disposal. Jahlil Okafor is a six-feet-eleven, 270-pounder who averages over 18 points and nine rebounds per game. He is one of the few individual players in the country who can match up inside with the size and strength of Kentucky and he has already proven himself to be a big game player. Duke remain as dangerous as they come to the Wildcats chances of ending the season with a perfect record.
Wichita State
The Shockers may be the biggest outlier on this list. Wichita State does not play in a major conference, while their size, or lack of it, would be a big concern when going against Kentucky. What the Shockers do have however is a point guard who almost never turns over the ball, a coach who is among the best in the country, and a massive revenge factor working in their favor.
The Shockers were Kentucky last year. They battled through the Missouri Valley regular season and conference tournament with a perfect record. Then, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they lost 78-76 to the Wildcats in a game which became an instant classic due to the high level of play and drama throughout. In Fred Van Vleet, Ron Baker, and the massively underrated Tekele Cotton, the Shockers have a trio of guards who defend, make shots, and protect the ball as well as anyone.
Outside of Kentucky and Arizona they are the highest overall ranked team in Kenpom when considering adjusted offense and defense, ranking at 15th in each category. This upperclassmen heavy team would give Kentucky all it could handle for the second straight year this March.