How to Beat the Unbeatable Kentucky Wildcats in 5 Not-So-Easy Steps

The riddle may have finally been solved.

All season long, coaches across the country have tried unsuccessfully to devise a plan to topple the top-ranked Kentucky basketball team. Now, as the 36-0 Wildcats prepare to open play in the Sweet 16, one man believes he's finally found the answer.

"Honestly," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said, "you just have to hope they play really, really bad."

Kennedy chuckled.

But only slightly.

So good has John Calipari's No. 1-ranked team been this season that the best hope of an upset may hinge as much on a poor performance by Kentucky as an outstanding one by its opponent.

And even that may never happen. It certainly hasn't yet.

"They don't beat themselves," said Kennedy, whose squad lost to the Wildcats 70-64 in double overtime in January. "When the game was on the line against us, there were two or three times they had an opportunity to mess up and lose, and they didn't. They're just so confident.

"They play the right way, they share the ball and they don't bicker amongst each other. They just win."

Still, with just under two weeks and four games separating Kentucky from a national title and college basketball's first perfect season since 1976, some of the game's best coaches will continue to rack their brain for ways to beat the Wildcats.

Along with praying for a lackluster effort by Kentucky, here are five other strategies that might enhance a team's chances of pulling the ultimate upset:

1. Score in Transition

Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

Finding ways to get quick, easy baskets is paramount to keeping the score close against the Wildcats. Maybe it occurs on a fast-break layup generated by a steal or on a dunk that comes courtesy of a long outlet pass following a defensive rebound. Whatever the case, it's essential to score before Kentucky has a chance to set up its vaunted, half-court defense.

"Once you get to that point, it's hard to do much of anything," Kennedy said. "They're just so much bigger than everyone else."

South Carolina coach Frank Martin agreed, adding that it's equally important to remember how to respond when you don't score in transition.

"It's probably best to take the 'score-early-or-score-late' approach," Martin said. "If you don't get that quick bucket in transition, pull it back and get deep into that shot clock before you attack. It's important to control the pace of play against them and use the clock to your advantage."

2. Make Perimeter Shots

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Kentucky has one of the best frontcourts in college basketball history. Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns are expected to be top-10 picks in this summer's NBA draft, while Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee are also regarded as future NBA players. It'd be foolish for a team to believe it can beat the Wildcats in the paint.

That's why making outside shots is so important, coaches said.

"Everyone says you have to make threes," Martin said, "but they don't necessarily have to be threes. Mid-range shots are fine, too.

"But if you try to score at the rim against them...it's just so hard. Not just because they've got 7-footers. But because their guards are 6'6". It's hard to even pass the ball in there."

Other than Texas A&M, the team that came the closest to beating Kentucky was Ole Miss, which took the Wildcats to overtime before falling 89-86 at Rupp Arena Jan. 6. Rebels guard Stefan Moody had 25 points in that contest and was 5-of-7 from three-point range. Ole Miss made nine threes overall.

3. Neutralize Devin Booker

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One of the best sixth men in all of college basketball, Booker can deflate a team with his long-range shooting. Booker averaged 10.5 points (in just 21.8 minutes) and shot 42.9 percent from three-point range heading into the tournament. Kentucky has plenty of offensive weapons, but perhaps no Wildcat can change a game as quickly as Booker.

"Against us," Martin said, "we were up by one point with four minutes to play in the first half, and he goes on an 8-0 run all by himself. We went from feeling good about ourselves to having the life sucked out of us—all in four minutes. It just drains you."

Booker finds himself in a bit of a slump, averaging just 5.4 points in his last five games.

4. Rebound, Rebound, Rebound

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Even though no team will be able to match Kentucky's size, length and athleticism in the paint, opponents who at least have a good number of big bodies will have a better chance against the Wildcats.

Texas A&M was one of those squads. Kentucky only out-rebounded the Aggies 53-52—and Texas A&M didn't even have its top rebounder (Jalen Jones) available for the game.

"It helps to be able to rotate bodies," Kennedy said. "They've got so many guys they run at you, it's hard to keep your players fresh. They've got about seven guys who, if they aren't first-round draft picks, I'll be shocked."

Indeed, Martin said Kentucky's depth in the frontcourt is just as big of a factor as its talent.

"Last year, if they started using their eighth or ninth man, you had a chance," Martin said. "That's why we were able to beat them. We got them in foul trouble, and they had to go really deep into their bench.

"This year, with their 10 guys...if one isn't playing well, it's no big deal. They can just move on to the next guy and not lose anything."

5. Believe

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The most vital trait a team needs against Kentucky is confidence, and it has to be genuine. Any opponent that is intimidated by the Wildcats' size, in awe of their talent or starstruck by their celebrity status won't stand a chance.

When the game is on the line, and opportunities arise to mess up, they don't.

"You've got to think of yourself in the same breath as them," Wichita State point guard Fred VanVleet said. "I mean, you've [got] to respect them. They've earned it. But if you go into the game praising them too much, you've already lost."

VanVleet knows all about playing Kentucky. It was only a year ago, in the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament, when the Wildcats handed the previously unbeaten Shockers their lone loss of the season in a 78-76 thriller that may have been the best game of the postseason.

Even though this year's Kentucky squad is better than the one that beat Wichita State and reached the NCAA title game, the Wildcats still featured many of the same players along with first-round draft picks Julius Randle and James Young.

Wichita State, though, didn't back down.

"You just have to go out there and be hungry," VanVleet said. "You've got to let 'em hang. That's why we play so well. We go out there and let our nuts hang and just play.

"We're all on the court at the same time. We all put on our shoes the same way. We all bleed blood. The school with the best team is going to win the game. Not necessarily the school with the best players."

Jason King covers college sports for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JasonKingBR.