After the dust has settled, the two No. 1 seeds from the West have made it to Indianapolis. The Kentucky Wildcats and the Wisconsin Badgers will in a rematch of last year’s thrilling Final Four encounter.
The Wildcats almost didn’t make it to the Final Four, barely edging No. 3 Notre Dame, 68-66, on Saturday. The Badgers had no such trouble, dominating Arizona for an 85-78 victory also on Saturday. Can Wisconsin avenge its heart-breaking last second loss in last year’s Final Four? Read on for everything you need to know heading into this game.
How’s your Elite 8 bracket doing so far? We’ve already nailed Kentucky and Wisconsin to make the Final Four. Check out the remaining two games on the schedule with our complete Elite 8 picks and predictions.
[sc:MarchMadness ]No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers Preview
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
When: Saturday, April 4, 8:45 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats (-5) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (+5); total 131.0 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are clutch. Kentucky finished their Elite 8 showdown against Notre Dame shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the field.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Wildcats have the Harrison brothers to thank for closing out the win. Aaron hit a big three-pointer with 3:18 left, before his twin brother, Andrew, made two go-ahead free throws in the dying seconds to put Kentucky ahead for good against Notre Dame.
But aside from their game-winning shots, the Harrison brothers were quite disappointing. Aaron finished 2-of-7 from the field for six points. Meanwhile, Andrew missed the only two field goals he attempted but hit 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats should be well-taken care of should they utilize their excellent frontcourt to take shots in the paint. Wisconsin allowed plenty of points inside against Arizona’s big men. The Arizona frontcourt of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Kaleb Tarczewski and Brandon Ashley combined for 45 points on 56 percent shooting primarily under the basket.
Kentucky has a beast of a forward in freshman Karl-Athnony Towns who can attack Wisconsin’s less-than-stellar inside defense. He scored 25 on 10-of-13 shooting against Notre Dame. Trey Lyles can’t be ignored as well. He’s averaging 11 points per game at the tournament thus far.
Towns in particular will need to have a strong game against the Badgers, who have a legit inside defender in Frank Kaminsky who can get even the most talented players in foul trouble quickly.
Kentucky is 1-3 against the spread in the Big Dance this year.
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
If you’re looking for a possible Kentucky ouster, then the Wisconsin Badgers are your team. The Badgers fit the bill with a couple of legit towers in seven-footer Frank Kaminsky and 6’9” Sam Dekker. The two have been instrumental in Wisconsin’s deep NCAA Tournament run this season. Kaminsky is averaging 22.8 points per game in the tournament, while Dekker is scoring 21.8 per game.
Unlike Kentucky’s big men in Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein, who primarily make a living under the basket, Dekker and Kaminsky can hit threes and score in the paint. Dekker has shot 13-of-24 from behind the arc in the tournament thus far, including five in the second half against Arizona alone. Kaminsky has made 5-of-8 threes at the tournament.
The only knock on this Badgers offense is that they don’t have a go-to playmaker who can dish out the assists. But look for them to pass the ball more in this game after seeing Kentucky give up 16 dimes to Notre Dame. That’s the most assists Kentucky has allowed at the tournament thus far. Josh Gasser and Bronson Koenig should lead in this regard. Gasser is averaging 3.3 assists in his last three, while Koenig is dishing out 2.8 per game.
The Badgers also need tighter coverage to take away the passing lanes. They allowed Wildcats guard T.J. McConnell to finish with five dimes in their Elite 8 game. They may struggle against free-flowing offense from Kentucky which dishes out 14.4 assists per game this season, 44th in the nation.
The Badgers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games as underdogs, one of which was against Kentucky as one-point underdogs in last year’s Final Four. The Badgers lost that game 74-73.
Writer’s Prediction
There’s no stopping these Cats. Take Kentucky to win and cover -5 while paving its way to the NCAA Tournament final. Create a betting account now and get in on the Madness while it lasts.
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