Kentucky vs Oakland: 3 keys to 2024 NCAA Tournament 1st-round matchup

Kentucky looks to avoid a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament, taking on Horizon League champions, Oakland.

TV schedule: March 21st, 7:10 pm ET. TBS
Arena: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

There are times when the Kentucky Wildcats (23-9) look like a national title contender, thanks to its talented core of freshmen guards. But there are times when they look like a candidate to leave early. They'll be tested against the champions of the HL, Oakland (23-11), with one of the longest-tenured coaches in the sport in Greg Kampe.

This is a 3 vs 14 matchup with some potential to be scary if things go a certain way. Here are the three biggest keys to the matchup.

1. Defenses on both sides

One of the biggest storylines this entire CBB season is Kentucky's poor defense, which ranks near the bottom in many categories among all 361 D-I programs. They give up an average of 79.7 ppg, along with allowing 26 3-point shots. Oakland ranks in the top-third, taking 26 shots a game. Blake Lampman and Jack Gohlke take nearly 20 attempts a game from deep and if the Wildcats don't slow them down, those shots alone will keep them in the game.

It's also important to note that Kentucky won't have an easy time carving up Oakland. The Grizzlies have historically been a "poor" defense in the HL at times but their defense ranked towards the top of the league in the second half of the season, when they made their run. That kind of improved play will be just as important for a shot at the upset.

2. Oakland's frontcourt

Oakland's star player is Trey Townsend, who leads the team with 16.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, as well as 3.1 apg. The reigning Horizon League Player of the Year had nine games of 20+ points, including a career-high 38 points in the title game win over Milwaukee. He's an incredibly good post-scorer and someone who Kentucky will need to deal with.

The best interior defender for the Wildcats is Ugonna Onyenso, a 6'11 center who blocks shots at a high rate. Tre Mitchell, when healthy, is another option to play at the small-ball 5. Two other frontcourt players to watch for the Grizzlies are 6'10 big man Chris Conway, along with DQ Cole, who is 6'3 but is a fairly good defender.

3. Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham

The lead scorer for Kentucky is Antonio Reeves, who averages 20 ppg. But the guards who make the Wildcats a genuine title contender are the freshmen duo that comes off the bench. Sheppard (12.8 ppg and 4.5 apg) has had some huge second-halves to get on the national radar, while Dillingham puts up 15.4 ppg in just 23 mpg as one of the best microwave scorers in the sport.

If Oakland can't contain them, they simply have no shot at pulling off the upset. At the same time, if Reed and Sheppard can't defend the Grizzly guards, that works against them. Seeing how they look at both ends will be very important to the matchup.