Alex Poythress may not show up at the top of any of the Kentucky Wildcats' (1) stat sheets, but his absence will be felt against the UNC Tar Heels (21) and for the rest of the season.

The six-foot-eight junior forward started eight of the Wildcats' 10 games and was one of the team's strongest and most versatile defenders. While Kentucky is used to seeing its fair share of one- and two-year players come in and out, Poythress is also one of the more experienced players on the team.

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"Things that people can't do, he could do. And they all came at great times," Calipari said in a news conference of Poythress' defense, according to ESPN. "Now we're different. You don't have that guy you can play poorly and he will go do something to get you back in the game."

But Calipari's team is well balanced and the scoring, as well as the defense does not fall on a single player. Five different Wildcats are averaging at least eight points per game, but no one has more than 10. What's more is nine different players are averaging at least 18 minutes per game.

Kentucky has proved its smothering defense twice this season against ranked teams, Kansas and Texas, but neither has the offensive talent of UNC. The Tar Heels boast five players scoring at least 10 points per game, led by Marcus Paige and Kennedy Meeks, who are both averaging about 14. Meeks could cause problems for Kentucky, as he probably would have matched up against Poythress.

"We've got to play the best game we've played all year, there's no question about that," UNC coach Roy Williams said ahead of today's game, according to ESPN. "We need to make some outside shots to open things up for us inside. We need to play without turning the ball over carelessly. We've got to have our best rebounding game of the year. And we've got to hope they miss some shots."