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Kentucky will be tested by heavyweight Final Four field

Kentucky will be tested by heavyweight Final Four field

If Kentucky is going to become college basketball's first unbeaten national champion in nearly four decades, the Wildcats will have to emerge from a heavyweight Final Four field.

They'll be joined in Indianapolis by fellow No. 1 seeds Wisconsin and Duke and an underdog Michigan State team that has a few too many Final Four appearances in recent years to be labeled a Cinderella.

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Duke's victory over Gonzaga ensured that the Final Four will have three No. 1 seeds for only the second time this century and the fifth time since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1986. The 2008 Final Four remains the only one that featured all four No. 1 seeds.

This year's marquee semifinal will pit Kentucky against a Wisconsin team many coaches have called the most challenging matchup in the field for the Wildcats. The Big Ten champion Badgers have a lethal offense highlighted by Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes, all big men who are tall and strong enough to defend the Wildcats' array of 7-footers yet shoot well enough to force them out of the paint at the other end.

Everything Wisconsin does well offensively was on display in the second half of its Elite Eight victory over Arizona on Saturday when the Badgers shot nearly 80 percent from the field and 10 of 12 from behind the arc. That scoring barrage earned them a rematch with Kentucky, which beat them in the Final Four a year ago on Aaron Harrison's go-ahead 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds to go.

The winner of the Kentucky-Wisconsin game will face either Duke or Michigan State, two programs that have combined for 12 Final Four appearances since 1999. The Blue Devils defeated the Spartans 81-71 in Indianapolis back in November behind 19 points from Quinn Cook and 17 from Jahlil Okafor, but Michigan State is a stronger team today than it was then.

A Michigan State team that lost stars Gary Harris, Adreian Payne and Keith Appling last spring has exceeded expectations this season, finishing third in its league, taking Wisconsin to overtime in the Big Ten title game and defeating Georgia, Virginia, Oklahoma and Louisville in the NCAA tournament. The emergence of Travis Trice as a go-to scorer has been a huge key, as has improved team defense and the development of several frontcourt role players.

Duke will still be a formidable challenge for the Spartans because of its talented freshmen. Okafor is the nation's best low-post scorer, Tyus Jones is an elite point guard who can score or distribute and Justise Winslow has been one of the NCAA tournament's breakout stars so far.

There's no question Kentucky is still the favorite in spite of its close call against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight on Saturday night. The Wildcats boast the nation's best defense and an improving offense that sank nine straight shots to help thwart the Irish's upset bid.

It will be up to the Badgers, Spartans and Blue Devils to put that same pressure on Kentucky and then try to finish the job. The Wildcats have consistently shown the will to win late in close games, but they should expect to be tested again next week by a heavyweight Final Four field.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!