It sucks to be a Kentucky Wildcats opponent these days. Almost everyone expects Kentucky—the preseason favorite—to win each of its games this season. To some, it’s hard to wrap their minds around the possibility of the Wildcats ever losing, not with that amount of talent and a stiff defense that have worked perfectly together to eviscerate 23 teams thus far this season. For that reason, in our sportsbook, you’ll find the Wildcats are favored over the entire nation to win the NCAA Championship this season. Crazy.
That being said, it’s not easy to finish a season undefeated. The Wildcats have three more Top 51 RPI opponents remaining on their regular season schedule, and then the SEC Tournament, but the biggest tests for this team of studs will certainly come in the NCAA tournament. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three teams that could match up well against, and ultimately beat, this ridiculous Kentucky team, come March.
We’ll have previews for every marquee game the Wildcats play down the stretch, so bookmark our college basketball section and read on for more on the blue and white juggernauts of the NCAA.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Three College Basketball Teams Who Can Beat the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA 2014-15 Season
Wisconsin Badgers
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]You bet Bo Ryan and his boys will not be short on motivation if the Badgers meet Kentucky in the tournament. Almost a year since Aaron Harrison ended Wisconsin’s title bid, the Badgers remain a team who still carries the weight of that loss. But more than the Badgers’ burning desire for revenge, it’s really the composition of the team and its offense that make Wisconsin a dangerous opponent for the Wildcats.
The Badgers entered the season with only one departure in Ben Brust, which means the team is virtually 100% intact. Leading the pack is Frank Kaminsky, who’s going to be a matchup problem for Kentucky’s big men.
Kaminsky is a deft post operator and can get it done from range, too. Kaminsky is shooting 41.4% from beyond the arc (24-for-58) thus far this season. Frank the Tank’s efficiency on offense—17.5 PPG on 54.3 FG%—is a representation of the entire Wisconsin team that is currently second in the nation in efficiency with 1.190 points per possession.
Virginia Cavaliers
College basketball experts have been drooling at the Cavaliers’ ability to dictate a game’s tempo. Virginia’s grinding pack-line defense disrupts its opponents’ offensive setups, often forcing them to settle for hurried, low-percentage shots rather than see their shot clock expire. As a result, Virginia’s opponents have shot a very poor 35.7 FG% and averaged just 0.841 points per possession thus far this season. Good luck to Kentucky in finding a way to score against this.
The Cavs are just as efficient on offense as they are 11th in the nation with 1.122 points per possession. By now, you should’ve heard of the unfortunate news that Justin Anderson is out for at least four weeks because of a finger injury. While that is certainly a big blow to the Cavs—particularly to their offense—Virginia can at least hope that Anderson will be ready for the tournament, which is still five weeks away. A fully healthy Cavs lineup would be a big test for Kentucky.
Duke Blue Devils
If there’s one game where Kentucky can’t emphatically say that it has the best players on the floor, then it’s got to be in a showdown with their rivals from Durham. Talent for talent, the Dukies present the toughest matchup for Kentucky in college hoops.
The Blue Devils have the same number of former McDonald’s All-Americans as Kentucky: nine. They have a loaded frontcourt led by projected 2015 NBA Draft No. 1 pick Jahlil Okafor and seven-foot Marshall Plumlee to counter the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson inside. Add the backcourt combo of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook, and you have a Duke offense that is among the best in the nation in terms of points per game (80.6 PPG) and shooting percentage (50 FG%). It could come down to the final game in the season (here’s hoping it does!) but the Blue Devils have the pieces to end the Kentucky run just like the Giants did vs. the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Will Kentucky go all the way and cop the program’s ninth National Tournament title this coming April? Create a betting account now and either take the titans from Kentucky or find great value on any other team in the field.
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