You will have a hard time finding someone who doesn't think that either Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin or Jahlil Okafor of Duke will win the Wooden award at the end of the year. In my opinion, they are the best 2 best players in the nation and we will get to see them matchup against each other. These 2 players have taken very paths to get to this point in their careers. Both players came from Illinois, Kaminsky from Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois while Okafor was from Chicago and went to power house Whitney Young. However, Kaminsky was the #24 player in the nation coming out of high school and has stayed until his senior year. Okafor on the other hand was the top recruit of his class and is seen by many as the next star in the NBA, he will also not stay at Duke for more than one season according to Coach K. Both players are now leading top 5 teams against each other on Wednesday night in a game that every college basketball fan will be watching.
Coming into the season everyone knew that Okafor is a stud on offense and is almost impossible to stop. Nigel Hayes or Frank Kaminsky will especially have a hard time when Okafor gets the ball of the block. Okafor has great size and can take it to the hole very easily, his foot work is what sets him apart from everyone else though. Okafor's footwork allows him to get to the basket easier and get by his defender. Okafor will have a tough time however against Kaminsky, as he leads the team in RPG and BPG. He is the only Badger to average more than 1 BPG, as he average 2.3 BPG. Even when not on Okafor, Kaminsky will have a chance to affect the play. Kaminsky does a great job stepping in the lane and using his 7 foot body to help alter shots. Okafor's defense on the other hand hasn't been horrible this year but it's nothing to rave about. Coming into the year everyone knew that's what he needed to work on in order to take his game to the next level. On defense, Duke likes to have Okafor sag off his defender and then close late when a shot is about to go off. If Wisconsin guard Sam Dekker can run effective pick and rolls on him he should see a lot of open looks. With this type of defensive strategy Frank Kaminsky has to be licking his chops. So far this season Kaminsky has shot 40.7% from behind the arc and should get some good looks when Okafor is on him. However, if Okafor plays tight defense on Kaminsky then he can put the ball on the ground and blow by him and get an easy layup. Kaminsky is a lot better ball handler than people think and can take it to the hole. This is the matchup that people will be looking out for. Everyone wants to see how the star freshman can do against an excellent vet in what could be his toughest matchup of the year for both of them.
Even though all the talk is about Jahlil Okafor and Frank Kaminsky there is still a game to be played, #2 Wisconsin Badgers vs #4 Duke Blue Devils. The Badgers come into the game with arguably the best defense in the nation. Bo Ryan always has a great defensive team, however, his team can now put points on the board which is why they are one of the favorites to make it back to the Final Four. Wisconsin is a more experienced team and I think that will help them early in the game. I think Duke will start out playing with more nerves and get themselves in a hole early. The emergence of sophomore forward Nigel Hayes has been a big plus for Wisconsin. Having him and Frank Kaminsky down low should be very effective against Duke. If Wisconsin wants to have a shot to win then veteran guards, Traevon Jackson and Sam Dekker need to step up. Both players have shot less than 25% from behind the arc this year, but should get some good looks on Wednesday. Duke comes into the games as one of the most talented teams in the nation, led by star freshman Jahlil Okafor. Fellow freshmen Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones will have to keep their strong seasons going against a tough defense. I think that both players will have to put up at least 10 points for Duke to win. The 3 freshman need to have their best games of the year to beat a talented veteran team like Wisconsin. Watch out for the freshman as they are the X-Factor in my opinion. Also, expect senior guard Quinn Cook to help lead his team early in the game and try to keep the nerves from getting to a young team. Cook has yet to miss from the free throw line and that will have to continue to beat a very talented Wisconsin team. Amile Jefferson is expected to guard possible Wooden Award winner Frank Kaminsky. That is a big task for anyone, however, I think this is the best Duke can do as Jefferson is 3rd on the team in blocks and can challenge Kaminsky for rebounds as he leads the team in that category.
With all things considered I think that Wisconsin beats Duke. A lot of people are picking Duke, however, I think Duke's freshman may crumble under the big lights. Wisconsin's defense will be too much for them and they will get off to a big start. Duke has a lot of talented freshman but I don't think they will be able to dig themselves out of an early hole.
Wisconsin 65 Duke 62
Coming into the season everyone knew that Okafor is a stud on offense and is almost impossible to stop. Nigel Hayes or Frank Kaminsky will especially have a hard time when Okafor gets the ball of the block. Okafor has great size and can take it to the hole very easily, his foot work is what sets him apart from everyone else though. Okafor's footwork allows him to get to the basket easier and get by his defender. Okafor will have a tough time however against Kaminsky, as he leads the team in RPG and BPG. He is the only Badger to average more than 1 BPG, as he average 2.3 BPG. Even when not on Okafor, Kaminsky will have a chance to affect the play. Kaminsky does a great job stepping in the lane and using his 7 foot body to help alter shots. Okafor's defense on the other hand hasn't been horrible this year but it's nothing to rave about. Coming into the year everyone knew that's what he needed to work on in order to take his game to the next level. On defense, Duke likes to have Okafor sag off his defender and then close late when a shot is about to go off. If Wisconsin guard Sam Dekker can run effective pick and rolls on him he should see a lot of open looks. With this type of defensive strategy Frank Kaminsky has to be licking his chops. So far this season Kaminsky has shot 40.7% from behind the arc and should get some good looks when Okafor is on him. However, if Okafor plays tight defense on Kaminsky then he can put the ball on the ground and blow by him and get an easy layup. Kaminsky is a lot better ball handler than people think and can take it to the hole. This is the matchup that people will be looking out for. Everyone wants to see how the star freshman can do against an excellent vet in what could be his toughest matchup of the year for both of them.
Even though all the talk is about Jahlil Okafor and Frank Kaminsky there is still a game to be played, #2 Wisconsin Badgers vs #4 Duke Blue Devils. The Badgers come into the game with arguably the best defense in the nation. Bo Ryan always has a great defensive team, however, his team can now put points on the board which is why they are one of the favorites to make it back to the Final Four. Wisconsin is a more experienced team and I think that will help them early in the game. I think Duke will start out playing with more nerves and get themselves in a hole early. The emergence of sophomore forward Nigel Hayes has been a big plus for Wisconsin. Having him and Frank Kaminsky down low should be very effective against Duke. If Wisconsin wants to have a shot to win then veteran guards, Traevon Jackson and Sam Dekker need to step up. Both players have shot less than 25% from behind the arc this year, but should get some good looks on Wednesday. Duke comes into the games as one of the most talented teams in the nation, led by star freshman Jahlil Okafor. Fellow freshmen Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones will have to keep their strong seasons going against a tough defense. I think that both players will have to put up at least 10 points for Duke to win. The 3 freshman need to have their best games of the year to beat a talented veteran team like Wisconsin. Watch out for the freshman as they are the X-Factor in my opinion. Also, expect senior guard Quinn Cook to help lead his team early in the game and try to keep the nerves from getting to a young team. Cook has yet to miss from the free throw line and that will have to continue to beat a very talented Wisconsin team. Amile Jefferson is expected to guard possible Wooden Award winner Frank Kaminsky. That is a big task for anyone, however, I think this is the best Duke can do as Jefferson is 3rd on the team in blocks and can challenge Kaminsky for rebounds as he leads the team in that category.
With all things considered I think that Wisconsin beats Duke. A lot of people are picking Duke, however, I think Duke's freshman may crumble under the big lights. Wisconsin's defense will be too much for them and they will get off to a big start. Duke has a lot of talented freshman but I don't think they will be able to dig themselves out of an early hole.
Wisconsin 65 Duke 62
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