The college basketball season is a grind, no doubt. Practices begin in the early fall and, for two teams at least, games run into early April.
But all the drama and excitement comes to a close tonight as Duke and Wisconsin face-off in the national championship game. The two teams met on Dec. 3 in Madison, with the Blue Devils winning 80-70.
Duke: 25th in 3-point FGs. Wisconsin: 328th in 3-point FG defense. Everyone on Wisconsin tonight. Besides me, who has Duke winning? #GoDuke
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) April 6, 2015
On the other side, can UW’s guards keep Duke guards out of the lane? Both teams so different from way they were when they met in early Dec
— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) April 6, 2015
Crazy Stat of Day: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is 0-3 vs 1-seeds in title games. pic.twitter.com/S9xJix2CnR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2015
However, that game truly does feel like it was played during a different season. Wisconsin has Sam Dekker healthy and playing the best basketball of his life, something that certainly couldn’t be said just a few months ago.
This Badgers team has realized their potential, and now move on to trying for the school’s second title, the first one coming in 1941.
On the other side, this is precisely where many people thought Duke would, and should, be. Mike Krzyzewski brought in what many considered to be the nation’s top recruiting class–yes, better than Kentucky–and mixed them with a small core of talented and hungry veterans.
For many Blue Devils fans, this group was assembled to bring home the program’s fifth title–all under Krzyzewski–and the first since 2010. Jahlil Okafor has been one of the premier players in the country throughout his freshman season, and looks to be a real contender for being selected first in the 2015 NBA Draft. Justise Winslow has turned into a household name thanks to his recent play.
