Tonight the college basketball season will come to an end. It is usually an exciting time for fans of college basketball, but this year is different. This year there feels like something is missing, and that something is the Kentucky Wildcats. I am not a fan of Kentucky by any stretch of the imagination, but this year's championship game could have been the biggest event of the year if it was Duke vs Kentucky. I don't want to disregard what Wisconsin has done because they are a great team and deserve to be where they are, but they are not a big brand. In college sports it's all about the brand, and in college basketball there isn't anyone bigger than Kentucky and Duke. There are other big schools like Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Indiana, UCLA, etc., but they just don't add up to the two big blue schools. The ratings for the Duke vs Kentucky game would have been through the roof. Some of that is because they have fans all over the country, they have are hated throughout the country. Half of the country would be rooting for Kentucky to have the perfect season, and the other half would be rooting for their failure.The same goes for Duke. These are two of the most loved and most hated teams in college basketball, and if they were playing for the championship the ratings would rival the Super Bowl's.
Unfortunately we have Duke vs Wisconsin. Don't get me wrong, I expect to see a great game played by two great teams, but it's lacking the same excitement. The only people that will be rooting for Wisconsin are basically going to be Badgers fans, and while there are many of them they don't come close to the amount of Wildcat fans in the country. There will be some Duke haters watching to see Duke lose, but I don't think they are turning out as much as they would for Duke vs Kentucky.
Everything else aside this is going to be a hard-nose, well played game. Although I didn't get the match-up I, and many Americans wanted, I am still looking forward to this game tonight.
Wisconsin is coming into tonight's game with a win against an unbeaten Kentucky team that many thought were a sure thing to win the championship. That is pretty impressive to say the least. Wisconsin is beating their opponents in the tourney by an average of 8.4 points per game. The two big guys for the Badgers are literally just that. Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker are playing incredible. Kamisnky was just named the Naismith Award winner, and justifiably so. In the tournament alone Kaminsky is averaging 22.2 PPG, and 8.8 RPG. He is shooting 54% from the field, 86% from the free throw line, and an incredible 55% from the three point area. Kaminsky is playing like a man on fire, but there is another bonfire that is still burning in teammate Sam Dekker. Dekker as been an intricate role for the badgers during this tournament. Dekker is averaging 20.6 PPG and 5 RPG. Dekker is shooting 61% from the field, 71% from the free throw line, and 50% from the three point area. Duke will have to guard these two on the perimeter and inside if they want to stop the Badgers from scoring.
Duke has been playing their best basketball of the season by far. The Blue Devils have been dominating their opponents in the tournament by beating them by an average of 17.6 points per game. Duke has one of the best defenses in the country right now. They can smother you from one side of the court all the way down to the other. Tyus Jones was able to shutdown Travis Trice in the game against Michigan State and is averaging 2 steals per game in the tournament. Jahlil Okafor is one of Duke's best players especially on the defensive side of the ball averaging 2 BPG in tournament. Okafor is averaging 16 PPG with 6.2 RPG. He is a huge presence in the paint for Duke. Justise Winslow will be another factor for Duke averaging 15 PPG with 9.4 RPG. Winslow is another big presence in the paint as well on defense averaging 1.4 BPG. Quinn Cook is averaging 15 PPG with 2.4 APG. Duke will have to have another great defensive performance if they want to beat the offensively minded Badgers.
Wisconsin has the best player in college basketball in Frank Kaminsky and Duke has been playing lights out defense in the tournament. Wisconsin has big scorers that can shoot from anywhere on the court, but Duke can play defense with the best of them. Wisconsin is a 1 point favorite, but I think Duke is going to win by 1 point. I pick Duke to win by 1 with a score of 77-76.
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FYI majority of the fans of other B1G schools will be routing for Wisconson, Just to add on top of the football national championship and the wrestling national championship both currently residing in B1G school.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty skeptical about that statement.The football national championship was a huge success because you have Ohio State and Oregon, two of the biggest football programs in the country. Nobody pays attention to college wrestling except the the Big Ten.
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