Primer: Wisconsin vs. Kentucky
ARLINGTON, Texas - Bo Ryan and John Calipari have never faced off against each other, but Kentucky holds a 3-1 all-time advantage over Wisconsin. All of that is thrown out the window tonight, however, as the two teams will face off in the Final Four with the winner advancing to the championship game on Monday and the loser going back to school.
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Below are lineups, notes and vitals for tonight's matchup.
Game Info
When and Where: 7:49 p.m. (CT) Saturday at AT&T Stadium
TV: TBS
Radio: 1310 AM, 101.5 FM
WISCONSIN BADGERS (30-7)
Coach: Bo Ryan, 321-120 in his 13th season at Wisconsin.
Probable starters (height, year, ppg.)
1 Ben Brust 6-1 Sr. 12.8
12 Traevon Jackson 6-2 Jr. 10.7
15 Sam Dekker 6-7 So. 12.4
21 Josh Gasser 6-3 Jr. 8.9
44 Frank Kaminsky 7-0 Jr. 14.1
Key reserves (height, year, ppg.)
10 Nigel Hayes 6-7 Fr. 7.8
13 Duje Dukan 6-9 Jr. 2.7
24 Bronson Koenig 6-3 Fr. 3.3
Quick hits: This is Wisconsin's first Final Four since 2000. Wisconsin has not been to a National Championship game since 1941…Wisconsin is 29-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament…Since 1979, the Badgers are 5-1 as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and are 1-2 against No. 8 seeds. The Badgers are 19-8 in the NCAA Tournament as the higher seed…Wisconsin is averaging 73.2 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, second to UConn (76.8) among the Final Four, while allowing 56.8 points per game, second to Florida (55.0) among the Final Four…Frank Kaminsky averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.75 blocks per game through the first four games of the NCAA Tournament…Traevon Jackson is 17-for-19 (.895) from the free-throw line so far in the tournament. He has a team-high 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS (28-10)
Coach: John Calipari, 151-36 in his fifth season at Kentucky.
Probable starters (height, year, ppg.)
1 James Young 6-6 Fr. 14.1
2 Aaron Harrison 6-6 Fr. 14.1
5 Andrew Harrison 6-6 Fr. 11.0
30 Julius Randle 6-9 Fr. 15.1
44 Dakari Johnson 7-0 Fr. 5.1
Key reserves (height, year, ppg.)
00 Marcus Lee 6-9 Fr. 2.4
22 Alex Poythress 6-8 So. 5.8
25 Dominique Hawkins 6-0 Fr. 0.7
Quick hits: Kentucky is 115-46 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the most wins of any team in the country…Under John Calipari, the Wildcats are 17-2 in the NCAA Tournament…Kentucky has the most NCAA Tournament wins of any school since 2010 with 17…Kentucky became the first school to win an Elite 8 game with five freshman starters since Michigan in 1992…Aaron Harrison has scored in double-digits in every postseason game this season including the SEC Tournament. He is averaging 16.6 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from three-point range…Willie Cauley-Stein is listed as doubtful with an ankle injury.
Why you should worry: In nine NCAA Tournaments since 2004, John Calipari has not lost to a seed lower than No. 3.
Why you shouldn't worry: The Badgers are a perfect 17-0 against teams outside of the Big Ten this season.
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