Badgers must slay another juggernaut
INDIANAPOLIS — Duke languished in the shadows of Kentucky all season, the big blue juggernaut that nobody seemed to be talking about. It was a rarity for a program with such a championship pedigree, not to mention a record-setting coach and superstar freshmen.
They can thank Wisconsin for finally returning to the limelight.
The fun-loving Badgers ended the Wildcats’ pursuit of perfection in the national semifinals, and set up an intriguing showdown in Monday night’s title game: Duke trying to give Mike Krzyzewski his fifth national championship, Wisconsin trying to capture its first in 74 years.
“I don’t think basketball fans that I know would ever say that Duke didn’t have a good team,” countered Badgers coach Bo Ryan, who won four Division III titles at Wisconsin-Platteville.
“A lot of people thought they had a pretty good team because they spanked our team at our place in December,” he said. “I can’t say that they were ignored, that’s for sure.”
Yet the buzz at the Final Four this week was focused on Kentucky.
The Blue Devils (34-4) have run roughshod through the NCAA Tournament, relying on suffocating defence and game-changing freshman Jahlil Okafor to shut down opponents. They’re allowing just 55 points per game, one of the finest defensive performances in tournament history.
Meanwhile, Okafor and his merry band of freshmen — Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen — have risen to the challenge of the game’s biggest stage. The four led the way in a semifinal blowout of Michigan State, a game never in question after the first five minutes.
“We want to be one of those teams that coach is bragging about five, seven years later,” senior guard Quinn Cook said. “So that’s the motivation for us, to be special.”