The NCAA Tournament is set to kick off in a few hours, but the Kentucky Wildcats will get things started on Friday night against the Troy Trojans.
Troy won the Sun Belt Tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament and will stand in the way of Mark Pope’s first win in the Big Dance.
Let’s take a look at three things the Kentucky Wildcats have to do in order to take down the Troy Trojans.
Three keys to victory for Kentucky to take down Troy
1. Kentucky has to limit Troy to one-and-done possessions
Troy is ranked 11th in college hoops when it comes to offensive rebounds per game at 13.94. The Trojans aren’t a great scoring team, so the way they get points on the board is getting offensive rebounds so they can shoot the ball as much as possible. With this team’s struggles shooting, if Kentucky can limit them to one shot per possession, they will win.
2. Kentucky must take care of the basketball
Troy is tied for 54th in the nation when it comes to turnovers created per game at 13.7. Kentucky as a team has struggled to take care of the basketball at times, so this will play a big factor in this game. If the Wildcats turn the ball over a lot, Troy could stick around in this game. Having Lamont Butler back will be a big help in this department.
3. Kentucky must pressure the ball on defense
Kentucky hasn’t been the best when it comes to creating turnovers this season, but if they could create some against Troy, it would be helpful. Despite having a good defense, there is no way Troy can stop Kentucky if they look to score in transition. If the Wildcats get turnovers, this will lead to run-outs, which will lead to points.
