March Madness 2015: Teams That Could Beat Kentucky Early in NCAA Tournament

It seems everyone is starting to assume Kentucky will run through March Madness as undefeated national champions. However, the great thing about the NCAA tournament is anything can happen.

The Wildcats have been dominant at times during the regular season, posting a 28-0 record while blowing out some of the top opponents on the schedule. They have had some close calls in the SEC, but they continually found a way to escape thanks to elite talent at every position.

That being said, there are certainly teams capable of knocking off Kentucky in a single-elimination tournament. While teams like Duke, Virginia, Arizona and others could cause problems in the Final Four, there are also squads that could cause problems in the earlier rounds.

Here are some teams that could potentially scare John Calipari and company in the first few rounds of the Big Dance.

West Virginia

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Kentucky's biggest strength is its defense, which uses aggressive play and ridiculous length to cause problems for any team in the half court. Considering West Virginia often struggles to score in the set offense, this doesn't seem like a good bet to beat the Wildcats.

However, the key for the Mountaineers is they don't need to score in the half court. They provide some of the best pressure defenses in college basketball, forcing turnovers at the highest rate in the nation, according to KenPom.com.

These types of plays don't only slow down the opposing offense, but they lead to easy baskets on the other end of the court.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports summed up West Virginia's style of play:

"

Playing the Mountaineers is like driving from New York to Washington D.C. with someone who's socially awkward -- it's uncomfortable. Bob Huggins' decision to use his bench to the max has resulted in a relentless pressing attack which has returned West Virginia to relevance. This team isn't overly skilled, but reflects Huggins' demeanor; it's an absolute nuisance for 40 minutes.

"

Kentucky won't be able to score if it can't get set on offense, which will lead to a low-scoring battle where one or two plays could be the difference.

In this situation, West Virginia has to like its chances with Juwan Staten, who has become one of the top playmakers in the nation. He had the game-winning basket in an upset over Kansas and has the skill to carry his team to victory against other top competition, including a potential matchup against the No. 1 team in the nation.

Michigan State

Eric Francis/Getty Images

There is a general rule in college basketball that you never count out a Tom Izzo team in March.

Sure, this year's Michigan State team has struggled a bit with losses to Texas Southern and Nebraska, while issues like poor free-throw shooting are not going away. Still, this team has enough talent to really scare people regardless of its seed in the NCAA tournament.

Izzo recently explained his thoughts about the Spartans improving going into March, via Kyle Austin of MLive.com:

"

All I think about is if we can keep getting better, because this team has gotten better for a variety of reasons. …

If we can continue to (get better), the Big Ten tournament, you have a chance when it's one and done if you have a good game and then the NCAA tournament hopefully depending on what the matchups are.

"

Not only can this team make a run in March, but it is built to handle a matchup against Kentucky if needed.

Although the Spartans don't have tons of size inside, they are excellent on the boards on both ends of the court, starting with senior Branden Dawson. The ability to keep the Wildcats from scoring second-chance points will severely limit them offensively.

Additionally, the well-coached squad does a great job of sharing the basketball, ranking fourth in the nation in assists per field goal, according to TeamRankings.com. This ability to make the extra pass will help avoid the shot-blockers inside and lead to easy buckets against a great defense.

If Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice can make their shots, this would be a perfect recipe for an upset in the first weekend of the tournament.

SMU

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

After being snubbed from the NCAA tournament last season, SMU got off to a terrible start this year with three losses in the first five games. However, Larry Brown's team has turned things around with a 21-2 record since that moment.

The offense features a balanced attack with four players averaging double figures, led by smooth point guard Nic Moore. The 5'9" junior fills up the stat sheet in a number of ways, and as ESPN's Fran Fraschilla notes, he is often overlooked as one of the top players at his position:

Like Michigan State, this is another team that knows how to pass the ball and find an open man where available. The ability to crash the boards will also provide some additional opportunities to get the ball in the basket.

Of course, the biggest thing going for SMU is the ability to come close to matching up with Kentucky in the frontcourt, something few college basketball teams (or even NBA teams) can do this season. Between the 6'11" Yanick Moreira and 6'10" Cannen Cunningham at center to go with talented forwards Markus Kennedy and Ben Moore, this group can handle the size inside.

If this leads to limited performances by Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns, fans could be treated to a massive upset.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.