For No. 2 UK to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015, it is possible the Wildcats will have to snuff out three Cinderella teams in the Midwest Region, then win a battle of college basketball blue bloods.
If seeds hold, Kentucky's first three games in the 2019 NCAA Tournament will be against non-Power Five Conference foes:
_ Abilene Christian. The private Christian university in Texas did not even join NCAA Division I until 2013-14. Also known as Wildcats, Coach Joe Golding's team (27-6) won the Southland Conference Tournament even though leading scorer Jalone Friday and a second key player, guard B.J. Maxwell, were dismissed from the team in February.
Abilene Christian enters the NCAA Tournament on a six-game win streak, including a 77-60 spanking of New Orleans in the Southland Conference Tournament finals. In Abilene Christian's sole game vs. a power-conference foe in 2018-19, it was blown out 82-48 at Texas Tech on Dec. 15.
_ Wofford. If UK wins its NCAA opener and No. 7 seed Wofford (29-4) survives No. 10 Seton Hall, it could set up a delicious Goliath vs. David scenario in the round of 32. Wofford (29-4) enters the NCAA Tournament on a 20-game winning streak.
Both the regular-season and tournament champions of a strong Southern Conference, Coach Mike Young's Terriers are led by sharp-shooting 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior guard Fletcher Magee (20.1 points, 42.8 percent 3-point shooting).
Wofford went 1-4 against Power Five conference teams in its non-conference schedule, losing to North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi State and beating South Carolina.
_ Houston. The American Athletic Conference regular-season champs (31-3), the Midwest Region's No. 3 seed, have thrived with a suffocating defense. The Cougars are allowing opponents to shoot only 36.5 percent on field goals, a mere 27.4 percent from behind the 3-point arc. Houston also controls the glass, outrebounding foes by 7.8 boards per game.
The Cougars have wins this season over major-conference opponents Oregon (Pac-12), Oklahoma State (Big 12) and, most impressively, LSU (SEC).
