Three things to know about the North Carolina Tarheels

Kentucky is getting set for their next marquee matchup after falling to Michigan State two weeks ago. Since that time, the Wildcats have had a couple of feel-good wins to try to get them back on track. They certainly did look good in those games, including some rotation changes and imrpoved defensive effort and decision-making on offense. Now, they'll look to showcase those improvements against a fringe top 15 North Carolina squad who are making their first trip to Rupp since 2015.

Speaking of Michigan State, the Tarheels are coming off their own loss against Tom Izzo and the Spartans. Let's take a look at what Tarheels will be bringing to Rupp Arena on Tuesday before the late 9:30 pm ET start gets here.

Freshman forward Caleb Wilson is a superstar

Kentucky is going to have a big assignment on their hands with Caleb Wilson, one of the best freshmen in the country. Wilson is clearly Carolina's go-to guy, and righfully so, as he's averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, shooting 58.7 percent overall. Wilson is also a candidate for National Player of the Year, too. He's the real deal and there's not much Kentucky can really do to stop him.

A player like that, you're just going to have to deal with what he does, and that's attacking the rim and the glass. Without Mo Dioubate, who would've been the best option to at least contain him a little bit, it will be interesting to see what Mark Pope throws at him, and as someone who recruited him briefly out of high school, he should have a good idea on what to do.

One of the top two-point defenses in college basketball

This will be an area Kentucky will need to tighten up on offense. With the Tarheels being an elite rim-protecting defense, they play very good straight-up defense and don't foul that often. But, in contrast, Kentucky is one of the top two-point scoring offenses, as they're very efficient scoring down low given their struggles shooting the ball. Something should give there, but if Kentucky wants to really win this, they'll need to knock down shots on the perimeter. In there two marquee games, they have struggled there obviously, but the past two games could give them more confidence there. This should be a big opportunity for the trio of Collin Chandler, Kam Williams, and Trent Noah to shine on the perimeter, because it's a huge risk leaning on points down low against a defense like this. The Tarheels are 2nd nationally in two-point defense, but are 176th in three-point defense. Kentucky can really take advantage if their shots are falling.

Three-point shooting is not a strength for the Tarheels

This is definitely an area on defense that Kentucky can lean on, but like against Michigan State, they can't just give them open shots with minimal close-out effort. Also like the Spartans, North Carolina really only has two shooting threats, with one of those, Henri Veesaar, being an elite threat from deep. Veesaar, a 7-foot big man, is going to look to stretch the floor and open it up for driving lanes on offense, so Kentucky absolutely cannot leave him unguarded on the perimiter. On the season, he's shooting 42.9 percent from three with one of the highest usage rates on the team next to freshman star Caleb Wilson. Overall, the Tarheels are ranked 247th in three-point percentage (31.8), an area Kentucky can try to exploit if they can keep the Tarheels from getting downhill, because that drive and kickout could become a dangerous position for Kentucky's defense to be in.

Something similar that North Carolina and Kentucky have in common is the injury at point guard, as Jaland Lowe has been out for Kentucky and Seth Trimble is out for the Tarheels. Both of them seem like the engine of their respective teams, so it will be interesting to see each team go at each other without a top facilitator. Losing those two have been very significant for both teams.

The Tarheels are coming to Lexington ready for their first true road game after two neutral site games. They'll be tested too, but Kentucky is looking to prove they're still an elite team after being embarrassed in their first two marquee top 25 games. Kentucky has a lot on the table tonight, and they can feed off an energized Rupp Arena. The Wildcats are running out of key nonconference win opportunities, and one is right in front of them and awaits Tuesday night.