Wisconsin ends Kentucky’s perfect season
By JIM JOHNSON
ISL Contributor
INDIANAPOLIS – The Wisconsin Badgers got its revenge on the Kentucky Wildcats and ended the perfect season for the overall No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.
The Badgers went on a late run to beat the overall No. 1 seeded Wildcats 71-64 in Saturday’s national semifinal.
Frank Kaminsky had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Sam Dekker added 16 points for the Badgers in a game that lived up to the hype.
The Wildcats committed shot clock violations on three straight possessions before Dekker’s go ahead 3-pointer to give the Badgers a 63-60 lead with 1:42 remaining.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and nine rebounds and Andrew Harrison finished with 13 points and four assists for the Wildcats.
“They did to us what we have done to teams,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “We normally execute down the stretch and we didn’t. They did.”
All Wisconsin was trying to do, though, was move a step closer to the goal the team set out for when Kentucky eliminated the Badgers from last year’s Final Four when Aaron Harrison scored a last minute basket to win it, 74-73. But the loss still was in the back of Wisconsin’s head.
“I think that loss last year motivated us through the offseason so we could get back here,” Kaminsky said. “Once the season started, we had our own goals in mind.”
And the Badgers didn’t let Kentucky get in the way. The Wildcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game – their largest lead of the game. Wisconsin led by as much as nine midway through the first half when Dekker scored to make it 23-14. But Kentucky went on a 9-2 run and tied the game at 30 when Aaron Harrison converted a 3-point play with 2:03 remaining in the opening half.
Still, Calipari isn’t letting the loss diminish what the Wildcats accomplished this year.
“This season is historic,” Calipari said. “I just can’t believe anybody is going to do what these kids just did to get to this point unblemished with the schedule they played, then how they did it.”
Wisconsin will play Duke on Monday for the National Championship. The Blue Devils blew out Michigan State 81-61 in the first national semifinal game on Saturday.
