2013-2014 Kentucky Basketball: "The Greatest Story Ever Told"
VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | Final Four preview: No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky | 01:57
USA TODAY Sports" Scott Gleeson and Nancy Armour preview the Final Four matchup between Kentucky and Wisconsin.
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURHow to beat Kentucky in the Final Four | 01:37USA TODAY Sports" Scott Gleeson discusses the game plan to beating undefeated (38-0) Kentucky.
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | Calipari, players after thrilling win | 17:53Video | Kentucky talks after defeating Notre Dame
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | UK fans celebrate in Lexington | 01:00Kentucky basketball fans took to State Street in Lexington Saturday night to celebrate UK"s win over Notre Dame and earn a trip to the 2015 Final Four in Indianapolis. James Crisp / special to The Courier-Journal
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | UK"s Cauley-Stein on defensive heroics vs. ND | 05:36Video | UK"s Cauley-Stein on defensive heroics vs. ND
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | UK"s Aaron Harrison on another clutch three | 01:16Video | UK"s Aaron Harrison on another clutch three
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | UK"s Andrew Harrison on clinching free throws | 01:16Video | UK"s Andrew Harrison on clinching free throws
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | UK"s Ulis has a new net necklace, Final Four ticket | 03:07Video | UK"s Ulis has a new net necklace, Final Four ticket
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | UK"s Towns hugs trophy, talks Elite Eight win | 03:06Video | UK"s Towns hugs trophy, talks Elite Eight win
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VIDEOS | UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo | Can Anyone Stop Kentucky? | 02:41BasketballInsiders.coms Cody Toppert and CineSports Brian Clark discuss Kentuckys dominant win over West Virginia, and discuss Wisconsin, Arizona and Notre Dames Sweet 16 wins.
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Last VideoNext VideoVideo | Final Four preview: No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky
How to beat Kentucky in the Final Four
Video | Calipari, players after thrilling win
Video | UK fans celebrate in Lexington
Video | UK"s Cauley-Stein on defensive heroics vs. ND
Video | UK"s Aaron Harrison on another clutch three
Video | UK"s Andrew Harrison on clinching free throws
Video | UK"s Ulis has a new net necklace, Final Four ticket
Video | UK"s Towns hugs trophy, talks Elite Eight win
Video | Can Anyone Stop Kentucky?
Kentucky"s Aaron Harrison, far left, celebrates with his team after the Wildcats defeated the Badgers Saturday night at the Final Four at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. April 5, 2014
CLEVELAND Since Aaron Harrison"s final dagger dropped with six seconds left in last year"s national semifinal, Wisconsin has been on a mission.
"That loss left a sour taste in our mouth, so we wanted to get back," Badgers forward Sam Dekker said Saturday after winning the NCAA Tournament"s West Regional to return to the Final Four.
Since Connecticut ruined Kentucky"s storybook ending in the national championship game last season, the Wildcats have been similarly motivated.
"Just two more games," said Andrew Harrison late Saturday night after hitting the clinching free throws against Notre Dame to get UK into its second straight Final Four and fourth in five years under coach John Calipari. "You really remember that feeling you had after the (title) game last year. You don"t want to have that feeling again."
But someone"s redemption tour will be stopped short in the rematch. The undefeated Wildcats (38-0) must go through red-hot Wisconsin (35-3) again, this time in Indianapolis, for their shot at a ninth NCAA championship and college basketball"s first 40-0 season.
The Badgers, who returned eight of the nine guys who played in last year"s Final Four duel with Kentucky, have won 10 straight games and hit 10 of 12 3-pointers in the second half Saturday to blow by Arizona.
"I know (Wisconsin coach) Bo Ryan, and he"s a great friend, and how good he coaches," said Calipari, who has won 15 of his last 16 NCAA Tournament games. "I"ve said all along I thought the (four) best teams were us, Wisconsin and Arizona and Duke. And other teams are right there, but those four seem to be a little bit better than the others."
The Badgers have a combination of shooting and size seven players 6-8 or taller, including 6-9 Dekker and 7-foot All-American Frank Kaminsky to threaten the Cats. Kentucky, with just one major contributor shorter than 6-6, ultimately overtook the Fighting Irish with a massive mismatch in length.
"That"s a great matchup," said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey after his team fell just short in a 68-66 thriller. "Wisconsin"s a little bit like us: they"re skilled and they can spread people out. They have a little more bulk and frontline size, but they"re really skilled offensive guys, and certainly we were able to get some things tonight."
The Cats returned just five of the guys who played against Wisconsin the first time, and lost their top two scorers from that 74-73 classic, but that doesn"t mean the Cats are less equipped. This team is actually far better than that one. They added four McDonald"s All-Americans, including 6-11 freshman star Karl-Anthony Towns, who poured in 25 points against the Irish.
Junior 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein, the nation"s top defender who helped save Saturday"s game with a late block, was injured and didn"t play the Badgers last year. But he knows this will be a challenge.
"I"m glad we have a week to prepare for them," Cauley-Stein said. "The way they play together is the best in the country. This is when I"m glad we don"t have one day to prepare for them. One day to prepare for a team like Notre Dame? That"s why we couldn"t stop them. If we"d had a couple more days to see where the holes are . but the way they run their offense is crazy. You really can"t stop it.
"It"s really them missing shots, and you get the rebounds, and that"s how you stop them. Otherwise they"re going to get their shots up, and if they"re making them, it"s going to be a long night."
One of the Wildcats" newcomers, rookie point guard Tyler Ulis, is still familiar with Wisconsin"s best player, Kaminsky. They"re both former Illinois high school stars and played in the same league.
Ulis is new to this matchup, and this stage, but he knows what to expect.
"Another hard-fought game," he said, "and I feel like they want some get-back from last year."
Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.
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Source: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/2015/03/29/final-four-rematch-kentucky-basketball-will-battle-wisconsin-trip-title-game/70628242/
