North Carolina Basketball: 5 Things the Tar Heels Must Do to Beat No. 1 Kentucky

North Carolina (6-1) will face their biggest challenge of the season as they face a hot No. 1 Kentucky (7-0) squad. The Tar Heels' win against No. 7 Wisconsin was telling, but this matchup against Kentucky will be a very defining game for them. 

Kentucky is a strong and agile team led by Terrence Jones, who is averaging 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The main question for the Tar Heels is: Can they slow down Jones and the rest of the Wildcats squad?

The odds are in Kentucky's favor, but the Tar Heels can still pull away with a win. 

Here's how. 

1. Force Kentucky to Take Outside Shots

If the Tar Heels are going to win this game, they have to keep Terrence Jones and Kentucky away from the basket and force them to take outside shots. 

The Wildcats are currently shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc and North Carolina needs to capitalize on their mediocre outside shooting. 

It may be surprising to some, but Jones substantially leads Kentucky in three-point percentage at 63.6 percent; however, Jones has only attempted 11 three-pointers and those shots were probably wide-open attempts. 

Nevertheless, North Carolina needs to pressure Kentucky into taking lower-percentage shots. It's better to have Jones shooting three's than high-percentage shots in the paint. 

2. Get the Ball to Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes is the Tar Heel's most versatile player, and he needs to touch the ball on every offensive possession. Barnes is currently averaging 17.7 points per game and put up 20 against No. 7 Wisconsin. 

If the Tar Heels are to win this game, Barnes is going to have to perform well. The more looks he gets, the better. 

3. Crash the Boards

Kentucky is an excellent rebounding team (they currently rank second in rebounds per game with 44.3) and if North Carolina is to win the game, they must out-rebound Kentucky. 

That will by no means be an easy task, as even guard Doron Lamb averages four rebounds per game. This isn't to infer that the Tar Heels aren't a good rebounding team, as they are No. 9 in rebounds per game. 

John Henson and Tyler Zeller average a combined 18 rebounds per game with Henson averaging an astonishing 10.9 rebounds per game. 

The Tar Heels need to show up on the boards if they are to come away victorious against Kentucky. 

4. Pressure Marquis Teague

Kentucky's freshman guard Marquis Teague has contributed plenty to the Wildcats' success averaging 10.7 points and 4.1 assists in seven games; however, Teague is still acclimating to the college game. The Tar Heels need to capitalize on Teague's freshman follies and pressure him as much as possible. 

Teague averages 3.1 turnovers per game and has twice turned the ball over six times in one game. This is something that North Carolina needs to take advantage of.

There should always be a North Carolina defender forcing Teague to make split-second decisions that could result in turnovers. The Tar Heels must capitalize on this potential vulnerability. 

5. Dominate the Paint

With North Carolina's best outside shooter sidelined for the Kentucky game due a wrist injury, the Tar Heels will have to rely on high-percentage shots in the paint. 

And that's where they'll have to live. This North Caroline squad is not good at three-point shooting and needs to take the closest shots possible. 

That won't be too easy against Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis who are good defenders and average 2.4 and 4.9 blocks per game, respectively. 

The paint is where the game will be settled and it's critical for North Carolina to dominate the paint not just on offense, but on defense as well. 

In all, rebounds will be the deciding factor in this game. 

It's going to be an exciting one!

No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels at No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats, 12 p.m. ET.