The Kentucky Wildcats have yet to be beaten this season, and only need two more victories to complete a historic, undefeated season.
At times they've looked invincible, such as when they knocked off West Virginia by nearly 40 points without their star center even scoring. At other times they needed all of their depth to overcome a challenger clicking on all cylinders, as Notre Dame was in the Elite 8.
In the Final Four, they'll encounter a No. 1 seed with NBA talent, and a player of the year candidate. These are the three things the Wisconsin Badgers must do to upset the Kentucky Wildcats.
Frank Kaminsky Must Rain 3-Pointers
Wisconsin's seven-footer Frank Kaminsky is going to be the key factor for the Badgers, which is far from a hot take. Kentucky has plenty of size to counteract Kaminsky in the post, but he can disrupt Kentucky's defensive scheme by drawing either Karl-Anthony Towns or Willie Cauley-Stein away from the rim.
Normally, coaches would want their seven-footers near the cup, but Kaminsky drained treys at a clip better than 40 percent this season. In his last two games Kaminsky has shot just four times from beyond the arc; he's been effective in these games, but he absolutely must launch to keep one of the Wildcats' shot-blockers occupied. If not, Kentucky's athleticism is almost sure to win the day.
The Badgers Must Get Kentucky In Foul Trouble
The Wildcats aren't like Duke. Some teams are successful in getting Duke's Jahlil Okafor in foul trouble and then capitalizing on his absence. For Kentucky, losing Towns or Cauley-Stein hurts, but their depth is so great that they could lose several players for long stretches and be fine.
The reason fouls will be important is that Wisconsin was the 11th-best team in the nation from the charity stripe. They convert 76 percent of their foul shots into points, and against Kentucky's long, athletic defenders buckets will not come easily. Getting free throws is of the utmost importance.
Wisconsin Must Let The 3s Fly
Kaminsky shooting is of the utmost importance, but in general Wisconsin needs splash 3-pointers all night long. The Badgers are one of the most well-oiled machines in the college game, but they absolutely don't have the horses to run with Kentucky. Their best bet is to heave 3s, and not miss. Luckily for the Badgers, none of their Top 5 players in terms of minutes was worse than 33.8 percent from deep.
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