INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky is gone, but the intrigue isn't. Wisconsin and Duke meet Monday night, each with two likely lottery picks — upperclassmen Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky for the Badgers, freshmen Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow for the Blue Devils — and the sense they are both destined to cut down the nets at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Wisconsin has had the far tougher road, needing to beat North Carolina, Arizona and previously undefeated Kentucky, while Duke's biggest challenge was Gonzaga followed by surprising Michigan State.
We break down the national championship game below:
Point guard
The future of Wisconsin basketball, sophomore Bronson Koenig is the Badgers' unsung star, sliding over to point guard when Traevon Jackson went down in January with a broken foot. He's been their rock in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 9.4 points, 2.6 assists and just 1.0 turnover per game. Duke freshman Tyus Jones is similar to Koenig, unselfish and hard to stay in front of, and at his best in the clutch.
Edge: Wisconsin
Shooting guard
The matchup won't draw headlines, but it could determine the national champion. Wisconsin fifth-year senior Josh Gasser doesn't score much, but his defense has been instrumental to the Badgers' success, particularly in the West Region semifinal victory over North Carolina, when he shutdown Marcus Paige. He'll need to keep Duke's Quinn Cook in check. The senior guard is the Blue Devils' lethal long-range threat, their heart and soul.
Edge: Duke
Small forward
Nigel HayesPhoto: AP
Sophomore Nigel Hayes has been a major contributor in the Badgers' run, averaging 11.8 points per game in the tournament and had the key put-back to pull Wisconsin even late in the win over Kentucky — even if it appeared to come after the shot clock expired. Matt Jones is Duke's weak link at the offensive end, an inconsistent shooter with no conscience.
Edge: Wisconsin
Power forward
Wisconsin's Sam Dekker and Duke's Justise Winslow have arguably been the two best players in this tournament, versatile swingmen capable of scoring in so many ways. Winslow, however, is the better defender and rebounder, affecting the game even if he doesn't score. He'll make Dekker's life very difficult.
Edge: Duke
Center
Frank Kaminsky is the National Player of the Year. Jahlil Okafor could be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft. Kaminsky is the under-recruited scrapper who barely played until his junior year. Okafor is a phenom some have compared to Tim Duncan. The matchup will be fascinating, a dominant back-to-the basket force in Okafor against Kaminsky, as potent on the perimeter as in the paint. Power prevails over finesse.
Edge: Duke
Bench
Traevon Jackson, rounding into form after missing 19 games with a broken foot, gave Wisconsin a spark Saturday night and forward Duje Dukan had enjoyed a few nice moments over the last three weeks. Duke gets better defensively when it goes to its bench, with defensive-minded forwards Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee. Freshman guard Grayson Allen was a big factor against Michigan State, scoring nine points and adding five rebounds.
Edge: Duke
Coach
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has 12 Final Four berths and four national championships. Bo Ryan, in his first title game in his 14th season at Wisconsin, is the better coach at the moment, an X's and O's wizard who has pushed all the right buttons in this tournament.
Edge: Wisconsin
Prediction
Duke won't go away from Okafor with the game in the balance like Kentucky did with Karl-Anthony Towns on Saturday night. Cook will hit the go-ahead 3-pointer when Okafor beats a double-team with a pretty feed and Winslow keeps Dekker under wraps as the Blue Devils win their fifth national title and first since 2010.
Duke 73, Wisconsin 69
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