INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — 9:58 P.M.
Back and forth we go in the national championship game.
The Blue Devils gained some early separation, but freshman guard Tyus Jones began settling for outside jumpers — just like the Harrison brothers did when Kentucky wilted late.
The Badgers stuck to their game plan and clawed back into the lead.
Jahlil Okafor continues to sit on the Duke bench after picking up his second foul with 4:47 left in the first half. Justise Winslow is also in trouble with two early fouls.
The Blue Devils are shooting 50 percent from the field early on, but they’re getting pounded on the glass. Wisconsin has 17 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points, with about 3 minutes left in the half.
Trouble for Duke: Okafor and Winslow both have two fouls. Wisconsin has two fouls total. Coach K does not seem pleased with officials.
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9:52 P.M.
Wisconsin surged back and the crowd got really loud for a 7-0 run capped by Frank Kaminsky’s three-point play to give the Badgers a 24-23 lead. The most important part of that play? The foul was the second on Jahlil Okafor, forcing the Duke big man to take a seat.
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9:50 P.M.
Duke has been winning the hustle points in the first half.
On one play, backup forward Amile Jefferson swooped in to block a shot by the Badgers’ Josh Gasser, and then Blue Devils teammate Tyus Jones nearly slid off the elevated floor and onto the deck while chasing the ball out of bounds. Jones popped to his feet and was OK.
The Blue Devils are also doing a better job of getting into transition, using their superior speed at guard to get easy buckets before Wisconsin can get back on defense.
Badgers coach Bo Ryan wants his team to start attacking the rim, rather than settle for outside jumpers. He threw his arms up in victory when Bronson Koenig did just that and drew a foul. Koenig, an excellent foul shooter, made both of his attempts.
Duke still leads 21-17, though, with just under 8 minutes left in the first half.
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9:38 P.M.
The Blue Devils have been arguably been the best defensive team in the NCAA Tournament, holding opponents to just 55 points per game. Wisconsin has been the most efficient on offense.
Not surprisingly, they are playing to a stalemate early.
Duke’s frenzied man-to-man defense has been able to force three early turnovers, one that turned into an easy run-out and layup by Grayson Allen. But the Badgers are doing a nice job of moving the ball to free up shooters, hitting three of their first five 3-point tries.
Among those in the crowd rooting on the Badgers: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, an adopted Wisconsinite, and former Wisconsin star J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans.
Duke has pulled ahead 13-12 at the under-12 media timeout.
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9:25 P.M.
The sexy matchup of the night is Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers’ AP player of the year, against Jahlil Okafor, who many think will be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft.
As expected, the two centers dueled each other early on.
Kaminsky struck first when he popped to the top of the key to hit a 3-pointer, then drew a charge on Okafor at the other end. The Blue Devils’ freshman star answered a minute later with an easy basket in the paint, his first of the night.
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan had to go to his bench first when senior guard Josh Gasser appeared to lose a contact lens in the opening minutes. Traevon Jackson took his place.
Duke led 6-5 at the first media timeout. The stoppage came after a ball was tipped out of bounds, not far from where former news anchor Tom Brokaw was sitting.
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9:10 P.M.
Wisconsin was introduced first as the fourth of the No. 1 seeds, running to the floor through a wall of smoke amid rockets and fireworks. The Badgers are in their road red uniforms for Monday night’s game.
Duke followed in its home white uniforms, and coach Mike Krzyzewski earned a roar from the Blue Devils fans when he strode to the floor moments later.
Badgers fans outnumber Duke fans by about 4 to 1.
The national anthem was performed by a military band while a 25-year-old bald eagle — named Challenger after the space shuttle crew killed in the 1986 explosion — soared over the length of the floor. The eagle was blown from a nest and raised by the American Eagle Foundation.
Next up: Introductions, then the final tipoff of the season.
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8:40 P.M.
Both teams are sticking with their Final Four starting lineups.
That means the Badgers will send out seniors Frank Kaminsky and Josh Gasser along with junior guard Sam Dekker and sophomores Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig.
The Blue Devils will counter with their trio of heralded freshman — Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow — along with sophomore guard Matt Jones and senior guard Quinn Cook.
The starting lineups are one thing, but this game could come down to bench play. The Badgers have a bit more depth than the Blue Devils with Traevon Jackson and Duje Dukan capable of providing a big lift.
Amile Jefferson and Grayson Allen are among the key reserves for Duke.
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8:25 P.M.
Hundreds of teams. Thousands of games. It all comes down to this.
No. 1 seeds Duke and Wisconsin are meeting at packed Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to determine this year’s national champion. Tip-off is less than an hour away. And in about 3 hours, one of those teams will be cutting down the nets to the tune of “One Shining Moment.”
Both teams have already been out on the court to get some shots up. The Badgers were the first to retreat to their locker room, while the Blue Devils spent a few extra minutes on the raised floor of the indoor football stadium.
Jahlil Okafor, the Blue Devils’ star freshman, put up a bunch of extra free throws. Good idea, because a game between such evenly matched teams could come down to the foul line.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is trying for his fifth national championship, and his third in Indianapolis. Wisconsin counterpart Bo Ryan is also trying for his fifth title, though the first four came while coaching in the Division III ranks at Wisconsin-Platteville.
Judging by the crowd already in the arena, most of Madison made its way to the game. There are plenty of blue-clad Blue Devils fans, too.
The students are close to the floor, but not necessarily in great seats. The court is raised up enough that those standing toward the back of the student section have to spend much of the game staring up at the video board to see the game. Especially, if the action is at the other end of the floor.
The Badgers’ section is located around the CBS set with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Clark Kellogg. A few fans were trying to get Barkley’s attention, and the analysts were giving their phones a check before going on the air.
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