INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — 9:56 P.M.
This is getting good. Really good.
Kentucky wiped out a nine-lead and tied Wisconsin at 32 on baseline floater by Aaron Harrison that drew a foul. Harrison turned it into a three-point play.
That came right after dunk by Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky.
Kentucky went ahead for the first time since the opening minutes when it forced a turnover that led to Trey Lyles’s break-away slam dunk, setting Big Blue Nation into frenzy.
Wisconsin wasn’t done. As the clock ticked down on the first half, Bronson Koenig swished a jumper to tie the game at 36. The shot was reviewed to see whether it was a 3, but it was not.
The rematch of last year’s Kentucky-Wisconsin matchup in the Final Four was certainly living up to the hype. Kaminsky had nine points and five rebounds to lead Wisconsin, while Harrison and his twin brother, Andrew, had combined for 18 points.
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9:43 P.M.
Frank the Tank and Wisconsin are crushing Kentucky on the glass.
Frank Kaminsky and the Badgers did not allow the unbeaten Wildcats an offensive rebound for the first 16 minutes of the first half of Saturday night’s national semifinal.
The offensive rebound is key to Kentucky, with the biggest lineup in the country, featuring three players 6-foot-11 or taller and guards the size of some teams’ forwards.
But Kaminsky had five rebounds and the Badgers were doubling up the Wildcats, 12-6, until Kentucky got its first offensive board and converted it into a basket.
Wisconsin led 30-27 with 3:43 left before halftime.
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9:34 P.M.
Frank Kaminsky, the AP player of the year, let go a straight-on 3, held the follow-through, and watched it swish to give Wisconsin a 21-14 lead with 10:33 left in the first half.
The Wisconsin crowd exploded and Kentucky coach John Calipari quickly called a timeout.
Coach Cal sat on a stool and calmly lectured his players. He hasn’t been happy with the play of his big guys, Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns. He yelled to his bench after one of his big guys missed, “He faded away!”
Kentucky has been hit with first-half runs before. The Wildcats aren’t likely to get flustered by an early deficit.
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9:20 P.M.
Kentucky coach John Calipari isn’t exactly going with wholesale line changes like he played with early in the season, but he still is going deep into his bench.
Nine different Wildcats had seen the floor by the first media timeout.
That could prove pivotal in the second half. Wisconsin doesn’t go nearly as deep, sticking primarily with seven or eight players. That means the bigger, more physical Wildcats could look to wear down the Badgers, who are plenty used to rough play in the Big Ten.
Both teams started off hot from the field, just like Duke and Michigan State did in the first semifinal. In that one, only the Blue Devils kept it going.
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9:15 P.M.
As expected, the opening minutes of Kentucky-Wisconsin resembled a prizefight.
Andrew Harrison started things off for the Wildcats with a 3-pointer. Willie Cauley-Stein added an easy bucket to set Big Blue Nation a-frenzy.
Sam Dekker answered with a 3-pointer for the Badgers. Bronson Koenig added a deep jumper.
By the time the game reached the first media timeout, the teams were tied 9-all.
Remember, the Wildcats edged the Badgers 74-73 at the Final Four in Dallas a year ago. There is a good chance this one could be nip-and-tuck the entire way, too.
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9:07 P.M.
Kentucky has by far the largest contingent of fans at the Final Four, but Wisconsin is not far behind, making for a raucous atmosphere for Saturday night’s second semifinal.
Dueling chants of “Go big blue!” and “Let’s go Badgers!” echoed through Lucas Oil Stadium in the minutes before tipoff. Michigan State fans appear to be rooting for their Big Ten rivals, too, which should give Wisconsin plenty of support.
Kentucky won the tip and Andrew Harrison promptly knocked down a 3-pointer. Game on.
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8:50 P.M.
The Blue Devils have punched their ticket to the national championship game.
Now, it’s up to Kentucky and Wisconsin to decide who is going to join them Monday night.
Led by one of the best freshman classes in the history of the game, the Wildcats are 38-0, two victories away from a historic perfect season. The Badgers and AP player of the year Frank Kaminsky, meanwhile, hope to spoil a high-profile showdown with Duke at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Blue Devils ran roughshod over Michigan State, 81-61, in the first national semifinal.
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