Wisconsin to Face Undefeated Kentucky
The moment the Wisconsin men’s basketball team steps onto the court Saturday will be the moment they have been waiting for all season. Frank Kaminsky spurned the NBA draft for another shot at a national championship, and this tournament has felt all too similar to the tournament from last season. After beating the Arizona Wildcats in the Elite Eight, Wisconsin fell to eventual national champion Kentucky in heartbreaking fashion in the Final Four. This year, Wisconsin defeated Arizona again in the regional finals to set up a rematch with Kentucky in the national semifinals.
To defeat Kentucky this time around, they will have to play disciplined basketball for the full 40 minutes. Kentucky is unbeaten, not unbeatable, so don’t crown them before they play the final two games. Strong defense, smart offense, timely shooting, and ball protection should spell a win for the Badgers come Saturday. Sam Dekker has grown into a possible lottery selection and a great sidekick for Kaminsky in dominating the opposing defenses. “Dekker’s Dagger” has already made the rounds and is one of the prettiest game clinching shots you will ever see, with the rainbow shot dropping right into the bottom of the net.
If you would expect the Badger players to be tense before their big matchup, you’d be wrong. Nigel Hayes has been flirting with stenographers, talking about playing Super Smash Bros on N64, and making obvious lewd insinuations during interviews, in a tasteful manner of course. Frank Kaminsky got visibly agitated when asked if he was still the fourth best FIFA player on the team, but his demeanor when answering questions about the upcoming basketball game was calm and collected.
Notre Dame gave Kentucky all it could handle in the Elite Eight, and Wisconsin has matchup nightmares in Kaminsky and Dekker. Feeding Kaminsky down low will lead to fouls by the talented Kentucky big men, fouls lead to minutes on the bench and easy points for Kaminsky at the free throw line. Driving to the hoop will also lead to easy points for Dekker, and it was a drive that got him in the zone against Arizona, playing inside sets up the outside shots.
Traevon Jackson will be the dark horse of the game. He has barely played since returning from injury and when he has played he has provided a spark off the bench. He was a key player in last years run and was expected to be another key cog this year before injuries led Bronson Koenig to take over the starting position. Jackson has the mentality of a scorer and has the ability to take over games, it is very possible that the moment proves too big for Koenig and Jackson is thrust into the hero role in the second half.
Wisconsin certainly can beat Kentucky, all year the pundits have trumpeted that they are the best equipped team to do so. Will they beat Kentucky, though? If I was a betting man, I would bet on something special happening this Saturday.
