5 Teams That Could Beat Kentucky In 2015 NCAA Tournament

By Jerry Landry

5 Teams That Could Beat Kentucky In The Tournament

Kentucky Wildcats basketball perfect Big Blue Nation Sweet 16 — Any team can be beaten on any day, at any time, and under any circumstances. 40-0 Kentucky Wildcats this, 40-0 Kentucky that. All this talk just increases the pressure of the atmosphere, and it might crush Kentucky men’s basketball in the end. Here are five teams that could terminate the Wildcats’ season with a huge tourney upset.

5. West Virginia Mountaineers

Bob Huggins West Virginia Mountaineers Sweet 16

5. West Virginia Mountaineers

Bob Huggins West Virginia Mountaineers Sweet 16 — Sometimes you need to fight elite talent with elite effort. There are few teams that swarm you like the Mountaineers and even fewer with a coach as capable as Bob Huggins. The reason Huggins wears what appears to be a WVU hospital gown is because Mountaineer games can get messy, and it’s this very grit that could give Kentucky a problem.

4. Michigan State Spartans

Tom Izzo Michigan State Spartans basketball Sweet 16

4. Michigan State Spartans

Tom Izzo Michigan State Spartans basketball Sweet 16 — Tom Izzo and John Calipari wouldn’t meet until the National Championship, but Kentucky’s goal is to win it all anyway. Sparty’s heart and hustle could hurt Kentucky’s length down the floor, and Izzo’s ability to transform his team in under 48 hours (i.e. the Virginia Cavaliers game) might keep Calipari sleepless until it’s finally over.

3. Wisconsin Badgers

Frank Kaminsky Wisconsin Badgers basketball Sweet 16

3. Wisconsin Badgers

Frank Kaminsky Wisconsin Badgers basketball Sweet 16 — Frank Kaminsky is another candidate to cause Kentucky some stress. Also, Traevon Jackson could come back, and if it isn’t a hit to Badger chemistry, it could be a punch in Kentucky’s gut.

2. Duke Blue Devils

Jahlil Okafor Duke Blue Devils basketball Sweet 16

2. Duke Blue Devils

Jahlil Okafor Duke Blue Devils basketball Sweet 16 — Kentucky may have the best team, but Duke may have the best player — Jahlil Okafor. Okafor is a big who could neutralize Kentucky’s greatest strength in Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns. If Okafor goes for 30 and Quinn Cook hits a few threes, then who knows?

1. Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats basketball Sweet 16 Sean Miller

1. Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats basketball Sweet 16 Sean Miller — The tournament champion could be the Wildcats either way. Arizona’s starting-five is just as good as any of Calipari’s platoons, it’s just a matter of if they have the stamina to outperform Kentucky for 40 minutes. It’s March Madness for a reason, so don’t rule out this imperfect possibility.

Teams in this article »

Kentucky Wildcats

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