Why avoiding the 3-point line will be key if Wisconsin hopes to upset Kentucky

Entering Saturday's West Regional Final between Wisconsin and Arizona, the Badgers ranked 111th in the country in 3-point percentage.

Anyone watching Wisconsin play for the first time that day came away thinking completely differently about the team's proficiency from beyond the arc.

"I think they had two threes at the half," Arizona head coach Sean Miller told reporters after the game. "Think about that. Two made threes at the half, they had (10) in the second half."

Wisconsin shot 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) from the field in the second half, knocking down 10-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc.

Some of those 3-pointers were downright ridiculous, including this dagger from Sam Dekker with 17 seconds remaining.

Next up for Wisconsin is undefeated Kentucky. For the Wildcats, defending the 3-point line has been an area of focus.

"Well, we practice it a lot but it's real simple. In the game, if you give up a three, you're coming out," Kentucky head coach John Calipari told reporters Friday. "You say what you want, come over here. Next guy. I tried. You didn't try hard enough, you're out. You hold them accountable."

That strategy has worked in a big way. Through four tournament games, Kentucky has limited opponents to 20.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Even in the Wildcats' worst game defending the 3-point line, the team limited Notre Dame to 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. With the game on the line, Kentucky sent a trio of defenders, led by defensive stalwart Willie Cauley-Stein, at Notre Dame's Jerian Grant to keep the quest for the undefeated season intact.

While going over the top of that vaunted Kentucky defense seems like a logical method of attack, Notre Dame showed that knocking down threes isn't necessary for beating the Wildcats.

Notre Dame forced Kentucky's big men to move their feet by throwing pro-style sets with numerous screen-and-roll plays at them, attacking the rim without fear.

While it may not be quite up to the level of Kentucky's, Arizona does have one of the more efficient defensive units in the college ranks. With the game on the line in the second half of its Elite Eight matchup, 12 of Wisconsin's 19 second-half field-goal attempts came from beyond the arc.

There's also the issue of the sight lines at Lucas Oil Stadium – a football venue – which is something we just witnessed at Houston's NRG Stadium this past weekend. Without a proper backdrop, long-range shooting can be difficult, and it led to the teams combining to shoot 26.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Back when the 2010 Final Four was played in Indianapolis, teams combined to shoot 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Even that number was buoyed by one uncharacteristically effective shooting performance. In the other two games, the teams combined to shoot 29.9 percent from three. 

Steering clear of Kentucky's big men is a method of attack that would appear attractive given Wisconsin's last performance, but the Badgers would be wise to avoid relying on the 3-point line and instead model their attack after Notre Dame's effort.

Wisconsin and Kentucky will tip off at 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday.