ARLINGTON, Texas — Wisconsin started the season the way Kentucky was supposed to. The Badgers opened with a school-record 16 straight wins, beating Florida, Virginia and Saint Louis, among others.
But Syracuse was the undefeated school worth talking about. Kentucky was a four-loss team in the spotlight for failing to live up to its hype.
Wisconsin’s expectations had long been carved in stone, a school with a perceived ceiling that took effect the week before the Final Four. Bo Ryan’s preferred style of slow-paced play and a defensive-oriented approach made it seem as if he trotted out new versions of the same players each season, even if this season’s incarnation was his worst defensive group and best offense in years.
“Just keep saying it over and over and people believe it without watching because it’s easier,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “But the reality of it is, Bo coaches to his talent.”
Though Wisconsin always was taken seriously, it was never seriously considered a national title contender. The Badgers could beat almost anyone, but could not outlast everyone. Their lone NCAA championship came in 1941 when the NIT was the biggest tournament in town. Their only other Final Four appearance (2000) came on a surprising eighth-seeded run.
Now, Wisconsin (30-7) is back, two wins from a national championship and facing Kentucky (28-10) in the second game of the Final Four on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium. Though a No. 2 seed, the Badgers are underdogs against the No. 8 Wildcats.
“It doesn’t really matter what other people say about us ’cause we don’t really care,” Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky said. “Once we start going onto, you know, ‘They’re athletic, they have a bunch of first-round picks on their team,’ that doesn’t really mean anything to them, just like people saying we’re a bunch of white guys who aren’t that great athletically, that doesn’t really mean anything to us.
“We don’t view ourselves as kind of underdogs in this game. We’re playing our best basketball of the year so we feel like we can beat anyone. And Kentucky’s in our way of getting to what we want, and that’s a national championship, so we’re going to do anything we can to beat ’em.”
Kentucky’s James Young did nothing to dispel the difference in the teams, comparing Wisconsin to Boise State on Friday.
The overachievers from Madison, who boast only one five-star recruit (Sam Dekker), will take on a collection of soon-to-be pros, freshmen who needed just one season to take Kentucky to its 16th Final Four and third in the past four seasons. Kentucky averted disaster by running off four wins in the NCAA Tournament, including victories against three of last year’s Final Four participants (Wichita State, Louisville, Michigan).
The Wildcats were a team that needed time, out to prove they were worthy of all the adulation they received before playing a minute together. Now, the perennial powerhouse realizes it is playing a team that has been counted out and disrespected more than its athleticism would ever allow Kentucky’s players to imagine.
“I feel like they have something to prove to the world,” Kentucky freshman Dominique Hawkin said. “They’re in the Big Ten and they’re always competing against Michigan State and Michigan and Indiana and those schools, but I feel like they’ve got something to prove more.”
Expectations say Wisconsin’s season is already a success. At Kentucky, nothing less than a championship is considered currency.
In one game, the opinions formed long ago could fade. Forty minutes could change everything.
“Ninety percent of the games we’re not the most athletic team on the court,” Dekker said. “We have to make do with what we have and I think we’ve done that pretty well this season. When we play to our strengths and stay disciplined and stay focused and just do the Wisconsin thing, it seems to work for us pretty well.”