The entire nation has one full day to prepare for the national championship game, which will feature a matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Duke Blue Devils.
On Monday, Wisconsin will look to end a very long title drought, as it guns for the team’s first national title since 1941. As for Duke, it’s staring at a grand opportunity to get the program’s fifth crown overall. Which team will end up cutting the nets in Indianapolis? Read on below for more about Wisconsin versus Duke. You can also click here to see which team the experts have picked to win in this game.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers vs No. 1 Duke Blue Devils Preview
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
When: Monday, April 6, 2015 9:18 PM ET
Line: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Duke Blue Devils; total: 141.0 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
It took a whole year, but the long wait made only the Badgers’ 71-64 revenge win over Kentucky on Saturday much sweeter. Wisconsin, which lost to the Wildcats in the national semifinal a year ago, is now 3-0 in its last three games.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Without much surprise, Frank Kaminsky led the team, as he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He got ample scoring support from his teammates with Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes chipping in 16 and 12 points, respectively. Bronson Koenig, meanwhile added 12 more points, as Wisconsin overcame Kentucky’s top-rated defense.
While Duke has a three-guard combo in Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook, and Matt Jones, Wisconsin has a three-forward setup in Kaminsky, Hayes, and Dekker. Bo Ryan’s insistence on having this kind of system has created mismatches that allowed Wisconsin to get different looks at the basket. As a result, Wisconsin was able to develop an offense that’s currently ranked first in efficiency by KenPom.
After passing the test presented by Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns in the national semifinal, Kaminsky will now turn his attention in making Duke’s Okafor uncomfortable on defense. Kaminsky is a deft post operator, but he also has the range to pull away Okafor from the shaded area. Kaminsky is 6-of-11 from beyond the arc thus far in this tournament.
Dekker, on the other hand, has the size and range that should give the Blue Devils additional matchup problems. Dekker, who is averaging 13.9 points per game this season, has stepped up his game since the start of the tournament. Dekker has averaged 20.6 points over Wisconsin’s last five games.
Dating back to 2000, Wisconsin is 3-5 SU and 6-2 ATS in its last eight March Madness games against No. 1 seeds.
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Betting on the Duke Blue Devils
Mike Krzyzewski has four national titles under his belt. He can add more to his impressive collection if he can steer Duke past Wisconsin this coming Monday. Since late February, Duke is 9-1 SU and ATS over its last 10 games.
Duke booked its ticket to the national championship game thanks to a commanding 81-61 win over Michigan State on Saturday. In that game, Jahlil Okafor broke out of his two-game slump and scored 18 points to go along with his six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Prior to the Michigan State game, Okafor scored just nine and six points against Gonzaga, and Utah, respectively. Michigan State, however, does not have a solid interior defender to contain Okafor. Wisconsin has.
Knowing this, other Duke players like Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones, and Quinn Cook will have to bring their A games to keep Wisconsin’s defense from ganging up on Okafor.
Winslow, who scored a game-high 19 points against the Spartans, is arguably the best Blue Devil in this tournament. He is averaging 15 points—while also guarding the opposing teams’ best perimeter players—over the past five Duke games. Jones and Cook, meanwhile, form Duke’s deadly starting backcourt that averages 27.1 points per game. Both players are terrific outside shooters, combining for close to four threes a game on the season. Expect the duo to take advantage of Wisconsin’s susceptible perimeter defense that allows opposing teams to make 37.4% of their three-point attempts.
Duke’s offense is currently ranked third in efficiency (121.7 points per 100 possessions) by KenPom, but its defense of late deserves some attention, too. Duke is surrendering 64.2 points per game this season, but has limited its past five opponents down to just 55 a game. Duke’s improved defense largely explains why the under is 8-2 in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Wisconsin wins, 76-72.
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