The Arizona Wildcats will face a familiar foe in the Elite Eight, Wisconsin, the team who ousted the Wildcats in heartbreaking fashion during last year’s tournament. College basketball fans have been salivating over the potential rematch of last year’s thrilling Elite Eight matchup between Wisconsin and Arizona since the bracket was announced. Both Wisconsin and Arizona are considered the top National Title contenders besides Kentucky, due to their talented, well-coached rosters. It seemed only fitting the two teams that have the best chance of defeating Kentucky must first battle each other for the right to advance.
Winning in Style
It’s extremely crucial for teams to establish their "style" of play, creating a calm familiarity, and allowing the players to perform at a higher level. Establishing the pace of the game also forces your opponent to take more risks and stray away from their game plan. Wherever the Badgers play, one fundamental aspect of their style is repeatedly brought to attention, the deceptive pace of Wisconsin’s offense. Wisconsin can bore it’s audience with the pace of their offense, the third-slowest in the nation. Even so, the Badgers are considered to be one of the top offenses in the country with an efficient offense and ability to score anywhere from the floor.
Wisconsin is able to take full advantage of every possession as they lead the nation in offensive efficiency (123.2) and TO percentage (12.6).
The Wildcats are a unique team. They are capable of playing and succeeding in most, if not all, tempos. However, they might be more efficient in certain ones than others. The Wildcats' issue is the inability to start strong. In order to beat the Badgers, Arizona needs their starting five to do something they haven’t done all tournament; start out with a bang. Outside the Texas Southern game, Arizona leaned on a few players each game to carry the load. Look out for T.J. McConnell and his senior leadership to coordinate Arizona’s offense and involve as many players as possible.
Wildcats vs Kaminsky
A large part of what drives Wisconsin's proficient offense is the play of potential Player of the Year, senior Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky is a match up nightmare for most coaches with his ability to play from the perimeter while being the best post player in college keeps defenders on their heels. He has the ability to light it up from beyond the arc, connecting on 42 percent from 3-point range, forcing defenders to respect his shot. However, when they do, he’s quick enough to beat them off the dribble for an easy score. Kaminsky’s outside shooting ability is remarkable for a big man, but it’s not even the best attribute to his game. His basketball IQ and abundance of post moves allows him to be one of the most dominant post players in years.
He has the ability to impact the flow of the game from the post with his scoring, passing or his mere presence. Whoever is tasked with slowing down Kaminsky will have their hands full. If you’re able to size up to him, he’ll beat you with outside shooting or beat you off the dribble. If you’re undersized, Kaminsky will put on a clinic for you in the post.
After getting pushed around by Xavier's Matt Stainbrook, Kaleb Tarczewski must be prepared for the daunting task of slowing down Kaminsky. If Tarczewski plays to his potential, this could be a fun match up to watch. Tarczewski has the size and athleticism to defend Kaminsky, including a swarming team defense. To have any chance of stopping Frank Kaminsky, the Wildcats will need a team effort, much like for D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State.
In their previous round against North Carolina, Kaminsky had an uncharacteristic first half and a slow start due to a team-defensive effort from the Tar Heels. Wisconsin was, luckily, able to squeeze by the Tar Heels as they were unable to capitalize on the Badgers' missed opportunities. But another off game from Kaminsky, against the Wildcats, will most likely be his last.
Prediction
Arizona and Wisconsin can easily be argued as the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the entire tournament. Unfortunately, they’re not playing for a championship berth, just a chance to survive. Wisconsin may have the Player of the Year in Frank Kaminsky, but basketball is a team sport. Kaminsky's supporting cast is sufficient in doing their job, but are severely lacking play makers; something Arizona has an abundance of. If the Wildcats are to advance it’s through a team defensive effort to stop Kaminsky. Tarczewski may have the task of defending Kaminsky, but it will take a whole team effort to negate Kaminsky and his momentum-changing skills. If the Wildcats are able to begin with an efficient team effort and make Kaminsky ineffective, as they did to Russell, Arizona will be moving on to the Final Four.
Time:
3:09 PM Pacific Time
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