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In today’s age of the one and done player in college basketball, it’s rare to see a national championship contender that is led by a group of upperclassmen. But there’s one team that is making that formula work for them.
That team would be the Wisconsin Badgers, who earned a return trip to the Final Four by beating the Arizona Wildcats 85-78 on Saturday in Los Angeles.
And as it has been all season for Wisconsin, the upperclassmen were the players who did the damage. The Badgers trailed Arizona 33-30 at the break, but they turned to their upper-class stars early in the second half. Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker combined to score 17 of Wisconsin’s first 20 points in the second half as the Badgers turned a three-point deficit into a five-point lead. Kaminsky, a senior, did it from all over the floor while Dekker, a junior, was red hot from long-range during the streak.
Wisconsin has been a team on a mission all season long. They were very close to playing for the national championship last season before an Aaron Harrison three-pointer lifted the Kentucky Wildcats past the Badgers in last year’s national semifinals. The core of Wisconsin’s team returned and hoped to get another shot at winning it all.
Ironically, Wisconsin could face Kentucky in the Final Four once again this season, if the Wildcats are able to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish later on Saturday night.
Experience helps when it’s crunch time, and Wisconsin has plenty of that big game experience, especially in the NCAA Tournament. They rarely turn the ball over and they don’t foul much, putting more pressure on their opponents. That has led them back to the Final Four and head coach Bo Ryan hopes it can carry the Badgers to a national championship.
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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