Basketball

final, when they needed a brilliant last-second defensive stand to hold off Notre Dame.

Three teams stand in UK’s way of perfection: semifinal opponent Wisconsin, which lost to Kentucky by one point last year in the Final Four — and the Duke-Michigan State winner in the title game.

All three are armed with Notre Dame’s blueprint, but it’s not quite as simple as following an identical script and making one more basket.

In personnel and philosophy, the Irish are built to take advantage of Kentucky’s ever-so-slight vulnerabilities. And now that they have moved to the big stage, the Wildcats could raise the level of their game — they weren’t at their best in the Elite Eight.

Here’s what Wisconsin, Duke and Michigan State must do to derail Kentucky’s bid for perfection:

Spread and attack

The Wildcats possess the best half-court defense in the country — one of the best half-court defenses we’ve seen in eons. They lead the nation in defensive efficiency and field-goal percentage defense and are second in 3-point percentage

defense.

They have a bevy of shot blockers and long-armed, athletic guards who can deflect passes and disrupt shooters.

They also have the nation’s singular defensive force in Willie Cauley-Stein, a 7-footer who can go stride for stride with guards.

“You can’t settle for 3-pointers against them,” said ESPN analyst Sean Farnham, who called SEC games this season and saw the Wildcats in person numerous times.

“That’s the biggest misnomer about playing Kentucky. Everyone thinks you have to beat them from the perimeter. But your guards are shooting over their 6-foot-6 guards, and your forwards are shooting over their 7-footers. It doesn’t work.”

Farnham, who played for De La Salle High and UCLA, believes the key is to attack the Wildcats. He pointed to Notre Dame’s aggressive use of screens to create space and driving lanes by pulling Kentucky’s big men away from the basket.

“The thing Notre Dame exposed is that 20 of its 26 field goals were layups or dunks. You have to spread the floor and make the back line of Kentucky’s defense shift.

“Create space and attack — that will be the biggest key for Wisconsin.”

Force jump shots

Sensational as they are defensively, Kentucky is not a devastating offensive team, particularly from the perimeter: The Wildcats shoot just 34.7 percent from 3-point range (No. 154 nationally).

Their best option, by far, is big man Karl AnthonyTowns, a 6-foot-11 power forward who is projected to be one of the top picks in the NBA draft.

For everything Notre Dame did right in the Elite Eight, the Irish bungled their defensive approach in the final minutes by defending Towns with just one player. He chewed them up, scoring nine points down the stretch on his way to a game-high 25.

“He has to be taken out for the game to limit their efficiency,” said Pac-12 Networks analyst Kevin O’Neill, a former college and NBA head coach.

“If you’re going to beat Kentucky, he can’t be allowed to score 25 or 28 points. He needs to be fronted. You have to take Towns out of the game and force the guards to beat you.”

Only two players shoot better than 38 percent from behind the line, and both are freshmen: Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker.

Better to take your chances with the rookies from 20 feet than UK’s big men from point-blank range.

Which team stands the best chance of not only hanging with the Wildcats for 39 minutes but also making the big plays in the ultra-pressurized final minute?

Toss out Michigan State. The Spartans have played well to reach this point but lack the size and skill in the frontcourt to handle Kentucky’s big men.

Duke has the requisite athleticism, but the Blue Devils are young, and big man Jahlil Okafor is not skilled enough away from the basket to create havoc for Kentucky’s defense.

Wisconsin, however, has it all.

“They’re an execution team like Notre Dame, but they’re bigger and better,” O’Neill said.

The Badgers run a precision offense with skilled big men who can draw UK away from the basket. Defensively, they have the size to limit Kentucky’s second shots.

They were one shot from beating Big Blue on the same stage last year.

“It will be the best game of the tournament,” Farnham said.