Why Arizona Poses the Biggest Threat to Kentucky's Title March

If the Arizona Wildcats win the West Region, they will be the biggest threat to the Kentucky Wildcats' march for the title.

Their keys? Size, work on the boards, defense and an offense competitive enough to go blow-for-blow.

Kentucky has been a powerhouse on the glass with a 7.4 rebounding margin. It's also grabbed an average 40 percent of available offensive rebounds. However, some of its closest games have been against opponents who nearly matched it on the boards. In the overtime decisions against Texas A&M and Ole Miss, Kentucky held the advantage by no more than two rebounds.

Arizona has the size and skill on the board to beat Kentucky. Its 8.9 rebounding margin is the second-highest in the nation, and it has limited opponents to just 22 percent of available offensive rebounds.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has played a key role in that limitation. The 6'7" forward is Arizona’s top rebounder with a 6.8 per-game average. He has the size to get a hand up on Kentucky’s shots and to limit its opportunities for second-chance points by challenging it at the glass.

Check out some of his defensive highlights:

He also has the athletic ability to matchup with Kentucky’s 7-footers on the other end of the court, as evidenced by his dunk over UC Irvine’s 7'6" center Mamadou Ndiaye:

Still, Kentucky’s defense is no easy obstacle. Many teams have struggled to even get shots up against them. Here's their defensive shot chart by Shot Analytics:

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Kentucky's defensive shot chart is stupid, via @ShotAnalytics: pic.twitter.com/PdYuSQY3mp

— Drew Hallett (@DrewCHallett) March 17, 2015"

However, their weakest area is in the paint—and Arizona has the right assets to exploit that.

One of those assets is Brandon Ashley. The 6'9" forward isn’t afraid to go one-on-one in the paint:

There’s also Stanley Johnson—a fast, versatile shooter:

And then there’s Kaleb Tarczewski, all seven feet of him. The big man speaks for himself:

Kentucky may hold the highest scoring margin at 20.9, but Arizona is just two spots behind at 17.8. They shoot .489 from the field with 10 players averaging three or more points per game. They have the ability and the depth to keep up.

If they can show on the boards, perfect their pack-line scheme and heat up early form the field—Arizona could have all the right mixings to beat Kentucky. Even President Obama agrees they have the best chance: 

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Here's how the President responded to "pundits think Arizona has best chance to beat Kentucky" https://t.co/8q97wuPPeU

— Josh Krulewitz (@jksports) March 18, 2015"