March Madness has arrived, my friends!

Just 11 months after taking the Kentucky basketball head coaching job, Mark Pope has not only led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament but to a 3-seed. However, Kentucky has fallen in the first round as a 3-seed or better in two of the last three seasons, while the program hasn’t been to the second weekend since 2019.

Will Pope earn his first NCAA Tournament win and make a run?

The first challenger will be the 14-seeded Troy Trojans. Led by sixth-year head coach Scott Cross, Troy is making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 and their third ever.

Described as a mid-major version of Texas A&M, the Trojans are a tough-nosed group with some strong defensive and rebounding metrics. They’re exactly the kind of team that can muddy things up and make this an ugly NCAA Tournament game that sees neither team build a big lead while they scratch and claw to the finish.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Win the Rebounding Battle

The Trojans’ strongest straight is their offensive rebounding, ranked fourth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (37.7%) and eleventh nationally in offensive rebounds per game (11.8).

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they have seen and beaten several teams that excel in offensive rebounding categories, including Texas A&M (1st), Florida (8th), and Duke (25th).

Kentucky will have a size advantage as Troy’s tallest starter is 6-foot-8. However, they attack the boards as a team. The Wildcats have to be the team that wants it more.

Dictate the Pace

Troy is a team that wants to play at a slow pace and “muck it up,” which has been the recipe for NCAA Tournament upsets in the past. While you’d like to think Kentucky can dominate a 14-seed, this Trojans team will likely keep that from happening.

Troy is a sneaky athletic team, but Kentucky has the size advantage and the talent advantage. Impose your will on an inferior team.

Or, as Mark Fox tells the team, “Be the hammer, not the nail.”

Win the Turnover Battle

Troy’s second-biggest strength is their ability to generate turnovers, forcing their opponents to turn the ball over more than 13 times per game, with an average of nine steals per game.

However, they also struggle to take care of the ball, coughing the ball up more than 13 times per game on average. Expect this game to be high on the turnover count.

What was once a strength for Kentucky, taking care of the ball has been a challenge as guard injuries have grown over the season. Over the last nine games, Kentucky has turned the ball over an average of 12.5 times per game, including 16 vs. Alabama in the SEC Tournament.

As powerful as the Wildcat offense is, they cannot afford to give up possessions nor allow a below-average Troy team to get easy looks off turnovers.

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball’s Path to a Final Four

If you look at Kentucky’s bracket, there should not be many complaints.

Of the 1-seeds, Houston is the worst offensively. Of the 2-seeds, Kentucky gets one they know well and have beaten twice in Tennessee. The Vols are still a very dangerous team, but this is still more favorable than having…say, Alabama as the 2-seed.

There are some dangerous double-digit seeds in McNeese and Utah State. However, there are no obvious ‘matchup nightmares’ for Kentucky. Even without Jaxson Robinson, everyone in Kentucky’s region appears to be beatable, which didn’t seem like something we could say if teams like Alabama, Florida, or Auburn were in it.

Another key advantage is travel. From a geographical standpoint, Milwaukee and Indianapolis are the best sites for fans to travel to and well within manageable drives for Kentucky fans, especially with Coach Pope willing to help with gas money.

Is Kentucky favored to make the Final Four from this region? No. In fact, FanDuel gives Kentucky the fourth-best odds to win it at +1000. Houston (+120) and Tennessee (+370) are obviously ahead, but you may be surprised to see 8-seed Gonzaga with better odds at +800.

Have injuries hurt the ceiling of this roster? Yes. In March, it’s all about giving yourself a chance. Pope and the Cats have a chance to make some noise. And you never know when upsets will open up a region much more than it looks ahead of the Big Dance.

All told, if Kentucky is going to make the Final Four, the path would likely be Troy, Illinois in the Orlando Antigua Bowl, Tennessee Round 3, and a Houston team that’s the likeliest 1-seed to come up short of making the Final Four.

Daunting, but not impossible.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Tayton Conerway, 6-3, 186 lbs

• 14.3 PPG
• 4.8 APG
• 4.6 RPG
• Sun Belt Player of the Year

F Myles Rigsby, 6-6, 190 lbs

• 12.0 PPG
• 4.0 RPG
• 45.4% FG

F Thomas Dowd, 6-8, 225 lbs

• 9.8 PPG
• 6.8 RPG
• 1.0 SPG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Troy Trojans

Time: 7:10 PM ET on March 21st
Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TV Channel: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy and Lauren Shehadi will call the action.
Live Online Stream: March Madness Live, but accessing that requires a valid login with a cable service. There is a one-hour free trial, however.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: Check local listings on CBS Sports Network and March Madness Live
Rosters: UK | TROY
Stats to Know: UK | TROY
KenPom: UK | TROY
Team Sheet: UK | TROY

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky listed as an 11.5-point favorite with an over/under of 152.5. ESPN gives the Cats an 89% chance to advance. BartTorvik (87%) and KenPom (86%) are close behind, while EvanMiya gives Kentucky a 79.5% chance of getting the W.

Predictions: BartTorvik and Haslametrics both go with an 82-69 win for Kentucky. KenPom has it at 82-70, while EvanMiya has it at 79-70. I believe that the team comes prepared and focused. Mark Pope gets his first NCAA Tournament win, so I’m going with an 84-70 victory, Kentucky!

Send us your Kentucky vs. Troy predictions in the comments!

And Go CATS!!

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.