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Houston vs. Kentucky: 3 storylines for the Sweet 16 matchup

By Jason Burgess

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 15: Tyler Herro #14 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 15: Tyler Herro #14 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Nick Richards #4 of the Kentucky Wildcats shoots a free throw against the Wofford Terriers during the second half of the game in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vystar Memorial Arena on March 23, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. They take on Houston now. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Nick Richards #4 of the Kentucky Wildcats shoots a free throw against the Wofford Terriers during the second half of the game in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vystar Memorial Arena on March 23, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. They take on Houston now. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Kentucky and Houston face off in the final Sweet 16 matchup of the weekend in Kansas City. Here are three storylines to watch in anticipation of the game.

The last game of the Sweet 16 takes place on Friday in Kansas City when the No. 3 seed Houston will take on No. 2 seed Kentucky. Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars earned their spot in the Sweet 16 by dispatching of No. 14 seed Georgia State and No. 11 seed Ohio State by an average of over 21 points. Kentucky had a slightly tougher road, but not by much. The Wildcats knocked off No. 15 seed Abilene Christian with ease, 79-44, but their second-round matchup with Wofford was a bit tougher, squeaking by with a hard-fought 62-56 win.

Both teams now find themselves two wins away from a trip to Minneapolis for the Final Four. In the weeks leading up to Selection Sunday, both teams had their eyes on a potential No. 1 seeds, but losses to Tennessee and Cincinnati in their respective conference tournaments ended those dreams, but now the two meet with loftier dreams in mind, and only one of them will get a chance to continue their dreams.

Both teams have been playing at a high level for a majority of the season. Houston has gone 19-3 since the turn of the calendar, and John Calipari’s Wildcats have been just as good, going 19-4 over that same span. However, both teams have also struggled lately, at least relative to the rest of their seasons. Kentucky has experienced three of their losses since Feb.12 and the Cougars have fallen twice since Mar. 2.

Here are some key things to watch for in this game as the final ticket to the Elite Eight gets punched in Kansas City.

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