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KyForward senior sports writer

The competition will only get tougher for Kentucky when the Wildcats resume their chase for a ninth national title this weekend in Memphis.

The Wildcats (31-5) won their first two games in the NCAA Tournament by a combined margin of 12 points, defeating Northern Kentucky University (79-70) and escaping with a 65-62 triumph over Wichita State Sunday in Indianapolis.

One of three powerhouse programs in the South Region semifinals, Kentucky takes on UCLA in a 9:40 p.m. tipoff Friday night at FedExForum. The Bruins (31-4) have won two straight over the Wildcats, including a 97-92 triumph on Dec. 3 in Lexington.

Defending national runner-up and top-seeded North Carolina takes on Butler in the first game of a doubleheader.

Although the Wildcats had their share of struggles in the first two games of the tourney, Kentucky’s players know they will have to step it up a notch to keep advancing in the prestigious tournament.

“We can’t afford too many mistakes, because we are going to be playing elite teams,” senior guard Dominque Hawkins said. “From now on, it’s win or go home.”

Bruins coach Steve Alford, whose team defeated Cincinnati 79-67 the second round for their third Sweet Sixteen berth in four years, doesn’t think his team’s five-point victory more than three months ago will have any bearing on Friday night’s contest.

“It’s a very, very good basketball team and I think they’re better now in March than they were when we played them in December, and I think we’re better than what we were in December as well,” Alford said. “Makes for a great matchup. I don’t know if all the other regions went chalk, but it’s 1, 2, 3, 4 in the south. So that south region and bracket is going to be a lot of fun.”

Kentucky has won 13 straight going into the regional semifinal contest and Wildcats coach John Calipari likes the way his team has played since losing three games in a four-game stretch in early February.

“They are empowered,” Calipari said. “I’ve empowered my staff. Maybe there are times that I’m looking at (a game) and saying, ‘we could lose this game’ and then I’m going to stand up (and take charge). This is the end of the year now. This is like, when you lose, you fall off the cliff. I’m going to do what I have to do to try to help the team win. … Now, you’ll have to perform. You’re going to have to want to be on that stage.”

Kentucky’s success during the recent winning streak — the longest in the nation — can be attributed to the team’s offensive versatility and improvement on defense.

“I feel we have that record because other people step up,” Hawkins said. “When Malik (Monk) is having an off-night, someone else, like (De’Aaron) Fox or Bam (Adebayo) and even I can step up and take a turn in scoring for us. There’s been a lot of games where one player hasn’t been playing well, but if everybody plays well together, then we’ll have a great game.”

SEC strong

Kentucky isn’t the only Southeastern Conference program enjoying success in the Big Dance. Two other league schools — Florida and South Carolina — are in the Sweet Sixteen.

The league has compiled a 7-2 mark thus far in the tournament and the Gamecocks are the biggest surprise in the event. South Carolina pulled one of the biggest upsets in the school history with an 88-81 triumph over second-seeded Duke Sunday night in Greenville, S.C.

The Gamecocks take on Baylor in an East Region semifinal, while the Gators will play Wisconsin in the same region Friday at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Although the fist two victories in the tournament have been monumental, South Carolina standout Sindarius Thornwell said the Gamecocks aren’t finished with making history.

“We’re not satisfied with just winning one game or this game,” Thornwell said. “We’re in it — why not win it? Why not us? We feel like we can compete with anybody in the country. The goal is not just to win one game or, you know, just to win two games, the goal is always to win it all. If you win it, why not win it all? And that’s our ultimate goal.”

Indiana talk

UCLA coach Steve Alford has been mentioned as a possible target to replace Tom Crean at Indiana. Crean was fired last week after a nine-year stint with the Hoosiers and nearly one year after Indiana defeated the Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.

Alford didn’t have much to say about a report that he had already accepted a deal to coach the Hoosiers following his team’s win over the Bearcats Sunday night.

“I don’t have anything else to say on that,” he said. “This is about our team. I’ve already addressed that matter and I’m not going to address it anymore. This is about our team and what these guys are doing. Like I’ve said over and over again, it’s a journey I feel blessed to have a chance to be a head coach at UCLA and in particular this group of young men and the young men that we have in our locker room, it’s phenomenal. I’m going to enjoy this ride as long as we possibly can.”

Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter