While their play on the court is very similar, Wisconsin and Kentucky has built two very different teams. The Wildcats have high expectations every season with a roster filled with youth, Mcdonalds All-Americans and top recruits. The Badgers have all juniors and seniors hungry for one more run at a winning season before graduating. Now they both face off in the Final Four with a chance to play for a championship.
This will be a matchup against youth and experience. Kentucky is making their second Final Four appearance in two years while Wisconsin has not been to the finals in more than a decade. Head coach Bo Ryan may have four national titles with a Division III school, but this is his first time bring his team of veterans to the Final Four. John Calipari on the other hand is the king of One-and Dones of college basketball.
Early in the season, Kentucky might not have been the biggest fans of their young freshman squad. Clearly struggling with mistakes that only come with inexperience, the Wildcats turned things around at the right time and now find themselves back in contention once again. The undefeated-season expectations were met with back-to-back losses to Arkansas and South Carolina along with ugly non-conference losses. Things looked back until the lineup was tweaked and the wins piled up.
Wisconsin does not have a roster filled with No. 1 recruits or All-Americans. They do not jump out on paper for any one particular things. However, the swing-offense is working and the uptempo play has allowed for more shots. They are averaging 73.5 points points this season because of it.
Kentucky and Wisconsin are not the David-Goliath matchup they might have been viewed as earlier in the season. Many expected Kentucky to be in the Final Four this season. No one really talked about Wisconsin given their straight line approach. Both teams have surged at the right time, making their way through a tough tournament field. The Final Four will be a battle of the young and the old and which team can withstand the pressure to reach the championship game.
