Wildcats are entering a tough stretch

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="354"] Andy Lyons / Getty Images[/caption] As we enter December, the college basketball non-conference schedule is nearing its final stages. Most teams have faced off against a headliner foe by now, while others still have more waiting in the wings. One such team is Kentucky, which has four of its next five opponents receiving votes in the AP Poll. Providence was a quality warm up, and that victory will be a boost for the RPI come tournament time because the Friars are a solid team. But this next stretch of games can really set the Cats up well, not only for conference play, but also to help solidify a No. 1 seed in March. Here is a brief rundown of the schedule and what you can expect to see out of each team. The arrows indicate how much better or worse the teams are compared to Kentucky in each respective stat. You'll notice outside shooting and assists are the biggest weakness Kentucky has in these matchups. But that's not exactly the bread and butter of this hard-nosed squad. Fri, Dec 6 — (20) Baylor Bears  Pomeroy AdjO: 113.0 (31st) Pomeroy AdjD: 97.5 (55th) PTS/GM: 78.1 FG%: 50.4 3PT%: 44.4 REB/GM: 41.0 ASST/GM: 15.9 TO/GM: 14.1 BLK/GM: 6.0 FOUL/GM: 16.4 Tue, Dec 10 — (31) Boise State Broncos Pomeroy AdjO: 113.4 (28th) Pomeroy AdjD: 102.4 (146th) PTS/GM: 93.6 FG%: 50.9 3PT%: 41.3 REB/GM: 39.0 ASST/GM: 12.6 TO/GM: 10.3 BLK/GM: 1.7 FOUL/GM: 20.1 Sat, Dec 14 — (29) North Carolina Tar Heels Pomeroy AdjO: 113.0 (30th) Pomeroy AdjD: 94.5 (21st) PTS/GM: 76.7 FG%: 48.1 3PT%: 32.8 REB/GM: 39.5 ASST/GM: 15.3 TO/GM: 12.8 BLK/GM: 4.7 FOUL/GM: 20.8 Sat, Dec 21 — Belmont Bruins Pomeroy AdjO: 111.8 (43rd) Pomeroy AdjD: 101.1 (116th) PTS/GM: 82.7 FG%: 49.9 3PT%: 38.9 REB/GM: 33.3 ASST/GM: 16.3 TO/GM: 13.4 BLK/GM: 2.3 FOUL/GM: 20.5 Sat, Dec 28 — (7) Louisville Cardinals Pomeroy AdjO: 116.1 (9th) Pomeroy AdjD: 90.1 (2nd) PTS/GM: 82.4 FG%: 45.4 3PT%: 34.8 REB/GM: 39.9 ASST/GM: 14.0 TO/GM: 9.3 BLK/GM: 4.6 FOUL/GM: 19.4