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

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: Tyler Herro #14 of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts as they take on 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. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

2. Kentucky needs to knock down shots.

Another big key in this game should be Kentucky’s shooting, whether they are inside the arc or outside of it. We know the long ball isn’t a huge part of Kentucky’s game, having attempted 528 on the season (only 25 teams have shot a smaller number) but it’s still important. While they only make 5.9 per game, Kentucky does shoot the three at a respectable 35.9% mark and that number jumped to over 36% during conference play Where Kentucky has improved is in defending the long ball, they allow their opponents to shoot 34.4%, and the Wildcats were even better during SEC play, allowing opponents to shoot it at just over 32%.

While those numbers are encouraging for Big Blue Nation, their opponent on Friday night will certainly test those numbers. Not only are the Houston Cougars giving up just 61 points per game, 7th lowest in the country, but they lead college basketball in field-goal percentage defense at 36.6% and their defense of the 3-point shot is just as good at 27.8%, also tops in the country. So, while Kentucky may be better suited inside the arc, that poses its own problem because Houston is tops in opponent two-point percentage. Teams that face the Cougars finish at just 42.8% inside the three-point arc.

If Kentucky struggles to get into the lane against Houston, the struggles the team saw at the beginning of the season may rear their ugly head.

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