Three-minute Final Four preview: Wisconsin vs. Kentucky
Wisconsin vs. Kentucky
P | No. | Wisconsin | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 10 | Nigel Hayes | 6-8 | So. | 12.4 |
F | 15 | Sam Dekker | 6-9 | Jr. | 13.9 |
F | 44 | Frank Kaminsky | 7-0 | Sr. | 18.7 |
G | 21 | Josh Gasser | 6-4 | Sr. | 6.9 |
G | 24 | Bronson Koenig | 6-4 | So. | 8.6 |
P | No. | Kentucky | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 15 | Willie Cauley-Stein | 7-0 | Jr. | 9.1 |
F | 41 | Trey Lyles | 6-10 | Fr. | 8.7 |
F | 12 | Karl-Anthony Towns | 6-11 | Fr. | 10.1 |
G | 2 | Aaron Harrison | 6-6 | So. | 11.0 |
G | 5 | Andrew Harrison | 6-6 | So. | 9.2 |
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 7:49 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
▪ TV/RADIO: TBS, TNT, TruTV; WHB (810 AM)
▪ ABOUT WISCONSIN (35-3): Can the Badgers count on another 15 for 19 shooting half like they did against Arizona in the West Regional final? Maybe not, but Wisconsin ranks first nationally in points per possession (1.28), and the team’s 80.5-point average is the highest among tournament teams that played at least two games. The Badgers will face the nation’s top defense, with Kentucky opponents averaging 0.86 points per possession.
▪ ABOUT KENTUCKY (38-0): Three different players have led Kentucky in scoring in its four NCAA victories, which is no surprise for a team that has seven players average between 6.5 and 11 points. This is what coach John Calipari means when he says, “If Willie (Cauley-Stein) played bad we still won. If Aaron (Harrison) went three for 20, which he’s done, we still won. If Andrew (Harrison) didn’t have his spirit, we still won.” Yes, at 38-0, the Wildcats have won under all conditions.
| Blair Kerkhoff bkerkhoff@kcstar.com
This story was originally published April 3, 2015 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Three-minute Final Four preview: Wisconsin vs. Kentucky."