Three things Kentucky needs to do if they want to beat #9 North Carolina

The Cats need to do these three things to beat North Carolina.

The Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to hit the road and take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Atlanta, Georgia, for a ball game that will be huge for the Cats tournament seeding. 

We have been previewing this game all week, and now it is time to discuss the three things the Cats have to do if they want to win this ball game. 

Let's take a look at these three things the Cats must do to beat the #9 UNC Tar Heels. 

1. Shoot 40% or better from three

Kentucky has proven they can shoot the basketball and shoot it efficiently. In the game against Kansas, the Cats shot 31.6% from deep, which just wasn't good enough to get the job done. Then, in Kentucky's matchup with Miami, they shot 42.9% from deep and got the big, ranked win. This seems to be the blueprint to win big games for this team. 

2. Turn the basketball over seven times or fewer 

Kentucky has done an excellent job taking care of the basketball early in the season, only turning it over 8.9 times per game. If the Cats take care of the basketball, they will win this basketball game. In both ranked games this season, Kentucky has taken care of the ball, but this can't change against UNC. The point here is that Kentucky has been incredible not turning over the basketball, so that can't change in this game, or it could hurt this young team. 

3. If it's a close game finish strong in the last five minutes 

Kentucky had a lead over the Kansas Jayhawks but collapsed down the stretch, leading to a painful loss. In the Miami game, the Cats were boat racing the Hurricanes, so there wasn't any stress late in the game. Kentucky needs to not crumble late if they have a lead over North Carolina. If the Cats are leading, they need to take good shots and get stops on defense. If you do these things late, you will come out on top. 

Antonio Reeves has struggled in big games; could the North Carolina game be different?

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