Kentucky vs. Notre Dame: 3 things you need to know
Another day, another team attempting to make the Wildcats' undefeated record disappear.
Notre Dame takes on Kentucky in the Elite Eight for a coveted spot in the Final Four. All the action goes down Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
Here are three things you need to know:
Kentucky wins ... a lot
While it might seem blatantly obvious, Kentucky's 37-0 record is crucial to understanding just how dominant it's been this season.
You want to talk about chinks in the armor? The only time the Wildcats got even close to losing was in a Feb. 7 matchup against Florida that they ended up winning 68-61.
Outside of that, Kentucky has been downright impressive in every aspect of its game and has continued to steamroll opponents through March Madness.
Just ask West Virginia.
Notre Dame: historic giant slayers
While the Fighting Irish are certainly massive underdogs coming into their Elite Eight matchup against Kentucky, history has seen them in a very similar position.
On Jan. 19, 1974, Notre Dame shocked the college basketball world when it put a halt to UCLA's 88-game winning streak with a 71-70 victory. It's hailed as one of the greatest underdog performances of all time.
Now we're not saying the Fighting Irish will do the same against the Wildcats, but anything can happen in March Madness. Even the greats stumble now and then, and for Notre Dame, Saturday's showdown will be about identifying those rare missteps and taking advantage.
Fighting Irish need an outside shot
Notre Dame's bread and butter has been its shooting from behind the arc. The team has made 39.2 percent of its shots from the outside this season, with senior guard-forward Pat Connaughton cashing in on 42.6 percent of his personal attempts.
With that in mind, Kentucky has executed its defense masterfully this season, keeping its opponents to 26.7 percent shooting from the outside and a staggering 17.8 percent in the first three tournament games.
Needless to say, the Fighting Irish need the outside shot to work in volume if they want to stay competitive against the Wildcats. If Kentucky is able to shut them down, however, Notre Dame could end up in a very similar position to the last guys who tried to overthrow the current college basketball kings.