NCAA championship game preview: Wisconsin vs. Duke
P | No. | Wisconsin | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 44 | Frank Kaminsky | 7-0 | Sr. | 18.7 |
F | 15 | Sam Dekker | 6-9 | Jr. | 13.9 |
F | 10 | Nigel Hayes | 6-8 | So. | 12.4 |
G | 24 | Bronson Koenig | 6-4 | So. | 8.7 |
G | 21 | Josh Gasser | 6-4 | Sr. | 6.8 |
P | No. | Duke | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 12 | Justise Winslow | 6-6 | Fr | 12.7 |
C | 15 | Jahlil Okafor | 6-11 | Fr. | 17.5 |
G | 13 | Matt Jones | 6-5 | So. | 6.2 |
G | 5 | Tyus Jones | 6-1 | Fr. | 11.5 |
G | 2 | Quinn Cook | 6-2 | Sr. | 15.6 |
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 8:18 p.m. Monday, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
▪ TV/RADIO: CBS (Ch. 5, 13); WHB (810 AM)
▪ ABOUT WISCONSIN (36-3): Badgers coach Bo Ryan, like counterpart Mike Krzyzewski, has won four NCAA championships. All of Ryan’s came at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville in the 1990s. Wisconsin looks for its second NCAA championship. It won the title in 1941, defeating Washington State at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium. The Badgers are 22-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points. The only loss came to Duke on Dec. 3.
▪ ABOUT DUKE (34-4): The Blue Devils bid to become the second straight national champion that did not win its conference regular season or conference tournament, after Connecticut last year. The Blue Devils are in their eighth national title game under Krzyzewski and seek their fifth championship. Duke won its most recent title on the same Lucas Oil Stadium floor, against Butler in 2010. The Blue Devils blasted Michigan State 81-61 in the semifinals.
▪ BOTTOM LINE: The Badgers average 1.28 points per possession, the nation’s top figure. Duke is third at 1.21. These teams know how to score. Although Wisconsin picked up the biggest victory of the tournament, beating Kentucky, it has struggled to put away teams. Not Duke: The Blue Devils have won their five NCAA games by an 18-point average. The Badgers have been terrific in pressure situations, and that experience will carry them to a national title.
| Blair Kerkhoff, bkerkhoff@kcstar.com
This story was originally published April 5, 2015 at 8:00 PM with the headline "NCAA championship game preview: Wisconsin vs. Duke."