LOS ANGELES — When Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky embraced at mid-court after clinching Wisconsin's second straight trip to the Final Four, the two close friends only had time to exchange a few words.
The ones they chose were simple but telling.
"I told him, 'Let's go get a title," Dekker said.
That's an attainable goal for the Badgers despite the undefeated Big Blue juggernaut in its path. They have enough shooters to spread the floor against Kentucky the way Notre Dame did, the size to defend and rebound against the Wildcats the way the Irish couldn't and two human mismatches in Dekker and Kaminsky who fuel the nation's most unstoppable offense.
The challenge of defending Wisconsin has never been more evident than it was Saturday when the Badgers shot nearly 80 percent from the field and from behind the arc in the second half of their 85-78 victory over Arizona. Dekker and Kaminsky teamed up to make a formidable Wildcats defense look ordinary, combining for 56 points by exploiting the matchup problems created by their versatility.
Three different Arizona defenders took turns trying to defend Kaminsky yet he still scored a game-high 29 points.
The national player of the year favorite repeatedly took advantage of Kaleb Tarczewski's lack of mobility on the perimeter just like he did against Arizona in the Elite Eight last March, burying jumpers in the 7-footers face when he didn't close out quickly enough and dribbling right by him when guarded closely. Neither wing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson nor forward Brandon Ashley had much more success because Kaminsky was able to take both defenders to the low block and overpower them around the rim.
"We knew their bigs couldn't move their feet as well as some guys we've played in the past, and Frank was able to take advantage" Wisconsin guard Zak Showalter said. "It's a testament to how good Frank is and how he deserves to win the player of the year. He works his butt off and he makes some ridiculous shots."
All the different looks Arizona tried to throw at Kaminsky created mismatches for fellow frontcourt standouts Dekker and Nigel Hayes.
Dekker eclipsed his career high for the second straight game, erupting for 27 points on five 3-pointers and an array of driving layups at the rim. Hayes took advantage of having Tarczewski and Ashley guarding him most of the night by floating to the perimeter and sinking two of Wisconsin's 10 second-half 3-pointers in their faces.
"Arizona tried to guard me with 7 footers and put their small guys on Sam or Frank, which is something we welcome with open arms," Hayes said. "If they sagged off me, I shot it. If they came out attacked me, I tried to get to the rim."
Arizona stayed in striking distance most of the second half with a strong offensive performance of its own, but the Wildcats never trimmed the lead to any less than five points in the final 10 minutes. They could only watch helplessly during the final minute as their third chance in five years to get Sean Miller to his first Final Four ended once again in Elite Eight heartbreak.
Whereas Wisconsin punctuated its Elite Eight victory over Arizona with a wild celebration last year, the mood in the Badgers' locker room was far more focused and businesslike this time around. Kaminsky and Dekker deferred their NBA dreams a year to chase a championship, not a Final Four, and that attitude rubbed off on their teammates.
"What this team has done is unbelievable," Wisconsin assistant Greg Gard said. "They've had a target on their back all year, they've set the bar high in terms of what they want to accomplish and they haven't been shy about putting it out there. We want to win a national championship, and there are steps along the way. Goal No. 1 was the non-conference season leading into Big Ten play. Goal No. 2 was the Big Ten tournament. Goal No. 3 was getting back to the Final Four. Now we're in a two-game tournament that we've got to go win to attain our last goal."
Wisconsin will have an extra layer of motivation facing a Kentucky team that ended the Badgers' season two wins shy of a title a year ago. Aaron Harrison sank a go-ahead 3-pointer over Josh Gasser with 5.7 seconds left and Traevon Jackson could not answer at the other end, preserving a memorable one-point victory for the Wildcats.
Both Kentucky and Wisconsin are better teams than they were a year ago.
The Wildcats are awash with McDonald's All-Americans and boast an improving offense and the nation's premier defense. The Badgers have the nation's most efficient offense fueled by a multitalented frontcourt that is exceptionally difficult to defend.
While Wisconsin players wouldn't admit they were eager for another shot at Kentucky, they did acknowledge the memory of last year's loss has fueled them all year.
"It drove us a lot," Wisconsin forward Duje Dukan said. "Being at the Final Four but losing by one play, that kills you inside knowing you were so close to playing for a national championship. That drove everyone all offseason during workouts. We wanted to get to the same position as last year and this time we want to take advantage."
- - - - - - -
Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/19umLoh
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire