In last year’s NCAA Tournament, John Calapari’s Kentucky Wildcats sent the Wisconsin Badgers home packing in the Final Four. Ryan’s Badgers are back again for more as they look to dethrone the best team in college basketball thus far. Beating the Wildcats is and will be easier said than done. Last season the game went down the wire and I expect this season’s game to follow suit.
Comparing both teams to last year, the teams are vastly different. Kentucky has more depth, skill, length, experience, and shooting, and Wisconsin brings more skill, depth, experience, and shooting as well. Last year, players such as Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes weren’t the players that they are today. The same can also be said for Willie Cauley-Stein and the Harrison twins. This matchup will be one for the ages as both teams look to advance to the title game.
Bo Ryan has been one of the best coaches in college basketball at adapting his coaching styles on a game to game basis. He will have his hands full with the Wildcats, as he seeks revenge from last season’s heart-breaking loss. In last year’s game Traevon Jackson played a huge role as the playmaker for the Badgers, but in this year’s game he will have a minimal role as he continues to get his rhythm back from injury. Despite not having the role that he had on last year’s team, he’s definitely an ex-factor coming off of the bench.
The battle of bench guards will be crucial between Tyler Ullis and Jackson. Both players have contrasting styles, but in this game the better player will likely sway the playing of their teams. From a matchup standpoint, Frank Kaminsky and Karl Anthony-Towns will be a rare showdown of two throwback big men who have dominated the college basketball game all season. The matchups between the coaches and players are about as even as it gets, and it will interesting how things shape up.
Thirty-eight teams have tried to defeat the Wildcats, but they all have failed at trying to beat UK. There is no clear-cut blueprint on beating the Wildcats, because nobody has accomplished that feat this season. Like the teams before them Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers are looking to give the Wildcats their first loss of the season, but the problem is that it’s hard to dethrone someone when they are chasing history.
Saturday night will be an epic battle, and like all Saturday’s this college basketball season it will be another team attempting to stop the Wildcats’ run to history. Revenge is a dish that is best served cold, but the Wildcats may have too much heat to fall victim to the revenge of the Wisconsin Badgers.
