Fans will get a rematch from one of the greatest NCAA Tournament games a year ago. The Wisconsin Badgers fought through a tough test from North Carolina, advancing with a score of 79-72. Meeting the Badgers in the Elite Eight will be the Arizona Wildcats, who were able to pull away from Xavier to win 68-60.
What we have now is a rematch between two great teams for a spot in the Final Four. And what a game it should be.
Thanks to phenomenal game from Sam Dekker (career-high 23 points, 10 rebounds), the Badgers have themselves in a potential return to the Final Four. Despite the Tar Heels shooting 61.5% from beyond the three-point line. Zak Showalter once again provided a spark off the bench for the Badgers, coming up with a pivotal steal and lay in at the six-minute mark to really get momentum on their side.
Wisconsin Badgers
Arizona also faced a big test from Xavier, but T.J. McConnell came up big in the second half scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second frame. Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 points and 12 rebounds to help send the Muskateers home and setup what should be another classic matchup between them and the Badgers.
The Wildcats come into the game boasting one of the best adjusted defensive ratings according to kenpom.com, with an 86.9 effeciency rating. On the flip side, the Badgers come into the game with by far the best offensive efficiency rating anyone has seen since kenpom.com released rankings back in 2002. Wisconsin has an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of an impressive 125.8.
This shapes what to be one of the best games of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, just like it was one year ago. Wisconsin is looking to get back to the Final Four and Arizona is looking to exact revenge from last year. This should be a dandy.
Date: Saturday, March 28th
Time: 5:09 p.m. CT
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: Staples Center
TV Channel: TBS
Live Stream: NCAA March Madness Live
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner and Rachel Nichols
Radio: Badgers Sports Network and Westwood One
Live Stats: UWBadgers.com
Odds via Bovada: ARIZ -1.5