37 straight wins and Kentucky has advanced to the Midwest Region Elite 8. Waiting for them are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the number 3 seed in the region, who are looking to take out the Wildcats and advance to their first ever final four.
2015 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Elite 8 Preview
(3) Notre Dame vs (1) Kentucky March 28, 8:49 pm (TBS) Cleveland, Ohio
Kentucky is the best team in the nation. An astonishing 37-0 and dominating the competition all season long. They’re overwhelming favorites to win the tournament as well. Very few teams gave them trouble, however Notre Dame may be their downfall.
While Kentucky downright embarrassed West Virginia in the Sweet 16 78-39, Notre Dame outplayed Wichita State all game. The Fighting Irish moved passed the Shockers by a score of 81-70.
If Notre Dame is to pull the upset of a lifetime off, they have to come out shooting well. Ultimately, picking up where they left off against Wichita State would be ideal. They shot 55.6% from the field, while shooting 47.4% from beyond the arc and 80% from the free throw line. They need to protect the ball better though, having 11 turnovers won’t cut it against the Wildcats.
Kentucky is efficient and plays amazing defense, the best in the country as a matter of fact. They haven’t been shooting the ball from beyond the arc well, but they don’t need to. Kentucky is athletic, fast and big. They have the best set of bigs in the nation. The Wildcats share the ball well and turn turnovers into points efficiently as well. There isn’t much negativity about a team that has basically breezed to a 37-0 record.
If Notre Dame shoots lights out and plays defense, they can pull off the upset. The downside to this is no one has been able to do it, and the chances of it happening now are against the Irish. The luck of the Irish needs to come full form tonight for them to have a chance. Notre Dame will make it a game, but Kentucky pulls away late. Kentucky Wildcats move on to the Final Four to face the winner of Arizona and Wisconsin.
