UNC presents significant challenge for Kentucky: "This is a really good team."

Kentucky‘s got its next big test in Atlanta on Saturday in the form of the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels. Hubert Davis‘ group is off to a 7-2 start with neutral-site losses to Villanova in overtime and No. 5 UConn, name-brand wins over Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.

The Heels are a mixed bag of talent. They’ve got a top-10 offense in the nation with top-20 turnover and free-throw rates. But they’ve also got size and physicality with the fourth-ranked rebounder in college basketball, Armando Bacot. It’s a nice balance that makes UNC a tough out for any opponent.

“Big, strong, physical team, a veteran team who has played a lot of games. And I think they were able to do really well in the portal,” Kentucky assistant coach Chuck Martin said of the Tar Heels. “They’ve got some kids who came into the program who fit in really nicely early on. This is a really good team, this is one of those teams that in March can make a run. It’ll be a really good matchup, a challenge for us in Atlanta this weekend.”

Bacot has been around forever, the team’s anchor inside for five consecutive seasons. He’s averaging 14.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest while also swatting away a career-high 1.7 blocks per contest. It’ll be Aaron Bradshaw’s first true low-post battle in just his third game back from injury. He got a versatile big matchup away from the basket vs. Penn, now he’s got a strong, plodding center to deal with in the 6-11, 240-pound fifth-year senior.

“Yeah, completely different (than what Bradshaw has seen),” Martin said. “Bacot has been a really good player, a really consistent player. One of the better big men in the ACC for the last four years. He’s the all-time leading rebounder at UNC, or close to it. He’s a handful, a physical load who understands who he is. It’ll be a challenge for all of us.”

And then there is North Carolina’s leading scorer, RJ Davis, who is averaging 21.0 points per contest through nine games. Another senior in his own right, he’s been on a tear against the Tar Heels’ toughest competition, going for 23 vs. Villanova, 30 vs. Arkansas, 27 vs. Tennessee, 27 vs. Florida State and 26 vs. UConn. He’s fallen short of 47% shooting in just one of those matchups (Villanova).

To put it simply, the kid can go.

“He’s averaging (26) points in his last five games, if I’m not mistaken. And he’s pushing the tempo, getting out in transition, but he’s just as effective in the half-court,” Martin said of Davis. “He’s tremendous in the pick-and-roll. If he can get his feet set, he can make it from three. We’ve got to be conscious of where he is the entire time.”

As a team, North Carolina will look to make life difficult for Kentucky, pressing and looking to force turnovers. The veteran-led Heels will want to speed the game up for one of the youngest teams in college basketball. Fortunately for the Cats, they rank third in the country in turnover rate.

“They’ve done that (pressing) a few times throughout the season. They want to speed the game up, they want to get possessions, they want to get up and down,” Martin said. “They’ll make you feel like you’re turnover-prone, try to trap you and see if they can get an easy basket. Luckily for us, we’re one of the better teams nationally in regards to taking care of the ball. We’re only turning the ball over eight times per game, so that’s pretty good for any team, let alone a young team.”

But the game’s identity will be all about tempo, a back-and-forth track meet featuring two of the best offenses in college basketball. Kentucky will have to contain Bacot on the glass, but also keep an eye on the Heels pushing things ahead for transition looks down the floor.

“They’re trying to get back to that, you can clearly see that in the games that they’ve played this year. They try to push the tempo as hard as they can on makes and misses. We’ve got to be really conscious of hitting the glass, but sprinting back and taking away easy baskets.”

If you were looking for entertainment this weekend in the CBS Sports Classic, you’ll find it in Kentucky vs. North Carolina.

“They’ve got experience, they’ve got talent, they’ve got size. It’ll be a big-time challenge for us,” Martin said. “But we’ve got a few days to prepare and we’re gonna do the best we can to make you guys proud here.”