Bracket Briefing: 10 keys to success for Kentucky to shock Wichita State

USA TODAY Sports provides your March Madness therapy.

The irony of Sunday's third-round matchup between top-seeded Wichita State and No. 8 seed Kentucky alone makes this the most anticipated game of the NCAA tournament thus far.

A preseason No. 1 team with T-shirts projecting a 40-0 record that's failed to meet towering expectations vs. a mid-major team with an actual chance of finishing the season undefeated that's enormously exceeded expectations after a trip to the Final Four last year.

BRACKET HUB: SCHEDULE: All of Sunday's games Everything March Madness

The stakes? The freshmen-laden Wildcats (25-10) can redeem themselves from the hype they never lived up to with eight McDonald's All-Americans on their roster. The Shockers (35-0) can silence the doubters who pointed to a weak strength of schedule and lack of marquee wins as a reason for their shot at making history this season.

'I don't want my team to make this game bigger than it is,' Kentucky coach John Calipari told reporters on Saturday. 'It's a basketball game.'

That it is. And a basketball game with a flipped David-and-Goliath script that very well could shape the outcome of the tournament.

Since Kentucky is technically the underdog, here's a look at keys to dealing Wichita State its first win.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Andrew Harrison (5) grabs his elbow next to teammate James Young (1) against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second half during the 2nd round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at Scottrade Center.(Photo: Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports)

1. Be tough: Kentucky is more athletic and possesses better individual talent than Wichita State. That's no secret. But the way that the Shockers beat stronger opponents starts with toughness. It's more of an attitude and mentality thing than anything. The Wildcats will need to play with an intensity higher than anything they've played with all season, including in a narrow loss to Florida in the SEC tournament championship.

2. The counterpunch: One thing Kentucky has struggled to do this season is react to a team's runs or scoring bursts. Wichita State is as potent offensively as any team in the country and basketball is a game of runs, which the Shockers use to catapult past their opponents very subtly. The Shockers play with a constant chip on their shoulder. In other words, they don't stop punching.

3. A sense of urgency: In losses to Arkansas and South Carolina, the Wildcats mounted comeback attempts that were too little, too late. From the tip, there needs to be a sense of urgency for Kentucky as if there's a 10-point deficit. And even if the Wildcats lead by double digits with 2-3 minutes remaining, they can't take their foot off the gas pedal and expect to win. Not against this team.

4. Win the battle of the boards: The Wildcats shouldn't try to beat Wichita State at their own game as much as they should play on the same level of intensity while at the same time playing to their own strengths. UK's frontcourt could provide an advantage, and one area where Kentucky must excel comes on the glass. This group ranks fifth nationally in rebounds per game, and it can't afford to cough up second-chance points to Wichita State.

5. Limit turnovers: Andrew and Aaron Harrison, as far as they've come this season from a maturity standpoint, still struggle with their decision making. It must be on point because costly mistakes can sink the Shockers. Fred VanFleet is one of the most underrated point guards in the country on both sides of the ball. He'll ballhawk to force turnovers and make smart decisions to keep Wichita State poised throughout the game. The Harrisons will have to be ready.

6. Be unselfish: Kentucky ranks 260th nationally in assists a game. And it shows. The biggest thing this group of All-Stars has struggled with is the trust factor. With the season on the line, it's about time the sharing of the rock come naturally. The Wildcats have made great strides in this department, but they'll need to take another big leap in this game. Wichita State uses synergy and togetherness to win. Kentucky can take a page from their opponents' book.

7. Not rely on outside shooting: James Young is a great perimeter scorer and when Young and the Harrison twins' outside shots are falling, this team looks like one of the best in the country. It also can lead to complacency, though - which is a deathtrap against a team like Wichita State.

8. Rely on Julius Randle but not too much: Kentucky is at its best when turning to their pitbull freshman forward. His tenaciousness needs to be more of an example instead of a crutch. Too often this season, if Randle was playing extremely well the Wildcats would sit back and watch. They need to follow his lead in terms of aggressiveness instead - attacking the rim, getting to the foul line.

9. Show maturity: This team has grown tremendously throughout the course of the season, and Calipari knows it. It might not have been at the rate he wanted, but the growing pains have led to a pretty solid team right now. In order for Kentucky not to falter, these youngsters can't fall back on their old mistake-prone ways.

10. Handle the pressure: This game has plenty of it. But one way a veteran-laden team will almost always pull ahead of a young squad comes with a better mental state of mind. Kentucky has to play like the underdog instead of acting like it should have been here anyway' and this is a chance to redeem itself from expectations that were never met.

NOT YOUR TYPICAL CINDERELLA: Dayton took down Syracuse on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 30 years. But don't consider this team your typical Cinderella, Erik Brady writes. The 11th-seeded Flyers have knocked off brand-name schools from the Big Ten and the ACC. They'll face another brand name next either way, from the Big 12 or the Pac-12, as Kansas and Stanford square off today. Watch Dayton's school president go crowd surfing here.

CINDERELLA WATCH: Two other Cinderellas went home on Saturday, though. Michigan State pulled away from upset-minded Harvard in a close 80-73 decision. And North Dakota State's storybook season came to a close in a 63-44 loss to San Diego State, a team that learned from last year when the Aztecs had their season end against a Cinderella (ahem, Florida Gulf Coast). NDSU coach Saul Phillips reminded us why we loved the Bison's Cinderella run in the first place with his emotional postgame news conference.

NUMBER OF THE DAY: Zero. That's how many shots Syracuse made from beyond the arc in the Orange's catastrophically bad shooting night, the worst since 1995, Chris Chase writes.

MARCH SADNESS: The flip side of the memorable upsets is the cold agony of defeat.

QUOTE TO NOTE: Mercer coach Bob Hoffman provided perhaps the funniest soundbite of the entire tournament...'Well I'm a psycho. I mean, I'm just a big psycho. Whatever I do, I'm all in. Whether it's at church worshipping, if it's on the floor coaching, if it's eating fried chicken, getting my iced tea, I'm all in. I'm going to give all I got and that's just how I'm wired.' Here's why Mercer's old school way isn't out of style, Nicole Auerbach writes.

THE HIGHLIGHT REEL: Michigan guard Nik Stauskas found his partner in crime, Glenn Robinson III for this impressive alley-oop. Michigan ousted Texas and advances to the Sweet 16 off a potent three-point shooting performance. Don't underestimate the Wolverines, Gerry Ahern writes.

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TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: Louisville advanced to the Sweet 16 in a not-so-pretty contest against similar defensive juggernaut Saint Louis.

We're almost 13 minutes in. Saint Louis has scored six points. Louisville is LOCKING DOWN on D.

- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 22, 2014

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ON DECK: A look at the busy slate of Sunday games.

- 12:15 p.m.: No. 10 Stanford vs. No. 2 Kansas (CBS)

- 2:45 p.m.: No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wichita State (CBS)

- 5:15 p.m.: No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Iowa State (CBS)

- 6:10 p.m.: No. 14 Mercer vs. No. 11 Tennessee (TNT)

- 7:10 p.m.: No. 12 Stephen F. Austin vs. UCLA (TBS)

- 7:45 p.m.: No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 3 Creighton (truTV)