UK vs. Wisconsin Final 2014 Four Handicapping
No. 2 Wisconsin will face off against eighth-seed seed Kentucky in Final Four action on Saturday night in Arlington, looking to punch their ticket to the National Championship game. [ad-4468020]
2014 NCAA Tournament Free Picks
Final 4
Date/Time: 8:49 p.m. EST, Saturday, April 5, 2014
Venue: : AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
Broadcast: TBS
Spread: +2 Wisconsin
Over/Under: 139.5
Odds From [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The Badgers were the only Big Ten team to survive the Elite Eight, with a thrilling overtime victory over the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats 64-63, in the West Regional Final on Saturday.
Wisconsin’s defense was relentless, but the offense was the hero, as they erased a double deficit to within pull to within striking distance at the half, before trading baskets with Arizona down the stretch.
And although both teams hit just 39 percent of their shots, they took good care of the ball, combining for only 17 turnovers.
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The lone difference was some clutch free throws late in overtime by the Badgers, who were once again led by the dominant play of Frank Kaminsky, who turned in a monster 28 point, 11 rebound performance followed by Traeveon Jackson with 10 points and five assists.
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Meanwhile, a young Kentucky Wildcats team emerged as victors from the Midwest Region final this past weekend after an exciting overtime win of their own over the Michigan Wolverines.
Once again the Wildcats showed flashes of greatness mixed with some weaknesses, which has kept them from really dominating any opponent during the tournament. Once again they had to come on late in the game, and when the needed it most, received a three pointer from guard Aaron Harrison that delivered a 75-72 victory of the Wolverines.
The Wildcats won the shooting battle 53-47 percent in that one, with Harrison finishing with 12 points for the game, all coming in final minutes of regulation and the extra time.
Marcus Lee was also a contributing factor in Kentucky’s win with 100 points off the bench in place of big man Willy Cauley-Stein, who will miss the game against Wisconsin as well with an ankle injury.
Free Pick: Wisconsin
The Wildcats have a few bigs that can create a very difficult matchup for a Badger front line that features little size and physicality.
But I am not sure it will be enough to stop Kaminski, who is arguably the best player left in the tournament with his inside out capabilities.
The Badgers will need to be patient on offense and move the ball around the perimeter. If they do, I expect the overall skill and experience of the Badgers, along with Kaminsky, to help Wisconsin pull away late to cover, and in the process earn a spot in Monday night’s title game.
