We are down to the Elite 8: Wisconsin and Arizona are the top two seeds in the West Region and now will face each other with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
2015 NCAA Tournament West Region Elite 8 Preview
(1) Wisconsin vs (2) Arizona March 28, 6:09 pm (TBS) Los Angeles, California
Wisconsin held 4 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 to enter the Elite 8. The Tar Heels controlled much of the game and held Frank Kaminsky in check, as he had 19 points with 8 of them coming from the free throw line. However, with Sam Dekker scoring a career high 23 points, recording 10 rebounds, the Badgers prevailed off of a 19-7 scoring run late in the 2nd half, with Kaminsky on the bench.
Arizona out played 6 seed Xavier to earn a rematch with Wisconsin in the Elite 8. Xavier frequently went to a 1-3-1 zone that happened to wreak havoc on coach Sean Miller and PG T.J. McConnell. Even though it was effective, Arizona went on a 19-7 scoring run late to grab the lead and hang on for a Wildcat victory.
This is a rematch of the Elite 8 match-up last season. The seeds were flipped as the 2 seed Wisconsin Badgers won in overtime 64-63 to earn a trip to the Final Four. Arizona’s Brandon Ashley missed last season’s match-up due to injury, which forced Arizona’s center Kaleb Tarczewski to match-up with Frank Kaminsky all game. Tarczewski was unable to contain Kaminsky on the outside, resulting in a mismatch leading to a 28 point performance by Kaminsky. Brandon Ashley should be a better match-up against the versatile 7 footer.
If Sam Dekker catches fire against Arizona like he did in the Sweet 16, the Wildcats might be in trouble. Arizona’s defense is going to be key in this game. They need to interrupt Wisconsin’s offensive efficiency and force a few turnovers, turning them into points.
Arizona is too strong defensively, and too good offensively not to score enough points to beat the Badgers. The Wildcats have the size to match-up with the Badgers. T.J. McConnell won’t be facing a defense as bothersome as he did Thursday night, allowing him to penetrate and dish for easy baskets. Arizona should be on a plane to Indianapolis with a spot in the Final Four!
