Tuesday afternoon, Kentucky forward P.J. Washington had his leg cast removed. Wednesday, he posted a brief video on social media of him walking … which seems to imply that Friday night, he might well return to the court for the Wildcats as they take on the Houston Cougars in a Sweet 16 matchup in Kansas City.

But whether P.J. is in or out … or whether that’s all still to be determined, Kentucky figures to have its hands full with a 33-3 Houston squad that is among the nation’s toughest defensive teams. Here are three things Kentucky needs to do to pick up another victory … and set the stage for an Elite Eight rematch with North Carolina or Auburn.

1. Get P.J. comfortable again — or get comfortable without him

Again, Washington seems much more likely to play than was previously assumed … which would mean that a Kentucky team that won two NCAA games without its best player might well have to readjust to having its alpha male.

Metrics confirm that Kentucky’s offense is noticeably more efficient with Washington on the floor than without him. Given Kentucky’s meager 62 points against Wofford, it’s not hard to imagine that even a semi-healthy P.J. would help matters by adding both a consistent outside threat and the team’s best post offensive option.

But Kentucky has to be careful not to rely too much on Washington and his injured foot. The Washington-less Wildcats tended to be more willing to step up and try to assume the leadership mantle. Kentucky would do well to mentally approach the game as if they are without Washington — and to consider whatever production he can render as a bonus.

2. Get to the foul line

Kentucky has taken the 14th-most free throws in D1 basketball—and made the 5th-most. It probably bodes well that Houston — despite its defensive excellence — was among the NCAA’s worst teams in terms of frequently putting opponents at the free throw line.

In Houston’s 3 losses, the opposing team outscored them by 14, 6, and 8 points, respectively, at the foul line. Given Kentucky’s offensive aggressiveness, the Wildcats can aid their likely offensive struggles (UH is one of the nation’s top teams in field goal and 3-point percentage defense) by cashing in at the free throw line.

3. Make Houston score off the dribble

Houston’s offense is not especially productive, as the Cougars thrive off their defensive excellence. But in the halfcourt, when Houston has to create offense, it can really struggle. The Cougars played 5 games this season in which it failed to amass 10 assists.

They went 3-2 in those games, which means they were 30-1 in their other games.

Similarly, when Kentucky held opponents to fewer than 10 assists, the Wildcats went 13-0.

Obviously, there’s a bit of chicken-and-egg here in that when open shots drop, assists are created. But at the same time, when teams are creating offense through one-on-one play, their assist numbers struggle. That’s apparently not the forte of a Houston team that actually only has two players who average more than 9 points a game.