University of Wisconsin-Madison
Since 1892 dailycardinal.com
Monday, March 31, 2014
l
Final Four bound Wisconsin advances to first Final Four since 2000
DREW GILMORE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
WIL GIBB/THE DAILY CARDINAL
By Jack Baer THE DAILY CARDINAL
Thereâs a good chance that the âFrank Kaminskyâ game just happened. But for now, head coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers and their massive crowd formed on State Street will only be focused on one thing in the coming week: the Final Four. In front of an Arizona-heavy, hostile crowd, the No. 2 seed Badgers took down No. 1 seed Arizona in a 64-63 overtime thriller to survive and advance to the tournamentâs final weekend in Cowboys Stadium located in Arlington, Texas. They were led by the West Regional Most Outstanding Player junior center Frank Kaminsky, who scored 28
points on 11-of-20 shooting. That total is the second highest in Wisconsin NCAA tournament history after Michael Finleyâs 36 in 1994. This will be the first Final Four in Bo Ryanâs career, and the first for Wisconsin since former head coach Dick Bennettâs miracle run in 2000. After 13 straight tournament appearances, this was long overdue for the consistent Ryan. Both teams shot below 40 percent from the field, with Kaminsky and Arizona sophomore center Kaleb Tarczewski being the only starters to make more than half of their shots. Arizona came into this game ranked as the No. 1 defensive team in the country according
COURTESY OF TYLER BAKER/THE DAILY WILDCAT
to Ken Pomeroy ratings and showed it through their relentless ball pressure defense. Open shots were beyond scarce for the Badgers. A saving grace was that despite Arizona freshman forward Aaron Gordonâs 18 rebounds, the smaller Wisconsin team was able to keep it about even with rebounds at 38-39 Arizona. The game started in Arizonaâs favor, with the Wildcats taking a 22-14 lead in the first 13 minutes. Wisconsin was gradually able to claw back both before and after halftime, finally tying the score four minutes into the second half. From there, no team took a lead greater than three points. Regulationâs final score, an
alley-oop from Arizona freshman forward Rondae HollisJefferson and a final step-back jumper from junior guard Traevon Jackson that clanked away put both teams at 54 points and sent them to overtime. Jacksonâs shot might have been ill-advised, as Kaminsky was being guarded by 6-foot3 Arizona junior guard Nick Johnson thanks to an Arizona defensive switch. In the extra five minutes, the Badgers never trailed. Arizonaâs best chance to go ahead for good fell short thanks to a questionable offensive foul on Johnson. Wisconsin failed to inbound the ball and gave Arizona a final shot, but Johnson was unable to get off a
Itâs your turn: a 360-degree look at the college experience +ACTION PROJECT ISSUE, B1-B12
WIL GIBB/THE DAILY CARDINAL
potential game-winner in time. By gameâs end, it was clear Frank Kaminskyâs star in college basketball was ready to shine. He was the clear offensive hero of the game, as Jackson was the only other Badger to score in double figures and that was on 4-of-14 shooting. When guarded by the 7-foot Tarczewski, Kaminsky was able to open his perimeter game, knocking down three 3-pointers. When guarded by Gordon, it was post moves and a deadly combination of footwork and length. He also pulled down 11 rebounds, seven of them offensive. Wisconsin will play Kentucky Saturday at 7:49 p.m. in Arlington, Texas.
FOLLOW US
@dailycardinal The Daily Cardinal
ââŠthe great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.â