Duke will look to reclaim its position at the top of the college basketball world when it takes on Wisconsin Monday at 9:18 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. A victory for the Blue Devils would give head coach Mike Krzyzewski his fifth national title; a victory for the Badgers would be the first championship for long-time head coach Bo Ryan. The matchup between two No. 1 seeds will be a rematch of an early December contest in which the Blue Devils emerged victorious 80-70 victory behind the play of freshman Tyus Jones. One player from each team who could be the difference Monday night:
Duke: guard Quinn Cook
The road ends here for the Blue Devils' lone senior—Cook will either be hoisting the championship trophy that has evaded him or looking back at what could have been. With freshmen Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow garnering much of the attention, the Washington native has quietly had an impressive NCAA tournament, averaging 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
But the senior’s biggest contribution to the team has been on the defensive side of the ball. Cook’s defensive intensity on the perimeter has set the tone for the rest of the squad and as a result, Duke has played some of its best defense during its run to the championship. The senior’s ability to hound guards on the perimeter has reduced the defensive burden on the rest of the lineup and allowed other Blue Devils to take chances in the passing lanes. In the last three games alone, Cook has helped shut down quality players in Utah’s Delon Wright, Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos and Michigan State’s Travis Trice.
Cook will face the Badger duo of Josh Gasser and Bronson Koenig, along with senior Traevon Jackson off the bench. Although none of Wisconsin’s guards possess the same individual ability as some of the guards Cook has already faced in the tournament, each is capable of making big plays around junior Sam Dekker and senior Frank Kaminsky. Both Gasser and Koenig are capable shooters from the perimeter, and Jackson is a wily veteran with an array of shot-fakes that can force even the most disciplined defenders to foul.
On offense, Duke desperately needs Cook to find the three-point stroke that made him so dangerous in the regular season. The Blue Devils’ struggles shooting from beyond the arc as a team in the tournament have gone hand in hand with Cook’s 2-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc in the last three Duke victories. With the Badgers having a couple snipers from long range of their own, the Blue Devils will need Cook to play at his best from deep to leave Indianapolis with their fifth national title.
Wisconsin: forward Nigel Hayes
More often noted for his comical press conferences, the Toledo, Ohio, native could be the difference-maker Monday. In the first matchup between the teams, the sophomore was limited to a season-low 23 minutes and four points due to foul trouble guarding Okafor. Hayes struggles were also indicative of the difficulty he initially had adjusting to his bigger role for the Badgers.
But the 6-foot-7 forward has been a drastically different player toward the end of the season.
After tying a career-high with 25 points in the Big Ten championship win against Michigan State, Hayes has averaged 12.2 points along with 5.4 rebounds per contest en route to the championship game. With the ability to use his size inside or take his defender out to the perimeter—where the forward has shot 38 percent from beyond the arc—Hayes has been a matchup nightmare for opponents all tournament long. The sophomore complements his physical tools perfectly with the ability to get the basket off the bounce and finish strong with either hand.
Hayes will also be presented with the paramount task of containing Okafor in the post. With Kaminsky simply too valuable to risk foul trouble, Wisconsin will need Hayes to do everything he can to limit Duke’s All-American, while staying away from fouls himself. Although the forward doesn’t possess the size to necessarily alter Okafor’s shots, the sophomore's performance against Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns showed that he will certainly be up for the challenge.
With Winslow likely to guard Dekker for much of the night, expect Duke to try and contain Hayes with sophomore Matt Jones. If Hayes is able to stay on the court and take advantage of his versatility on both offense and defense, the Badgers have a good chance of winning their first title under coach Ryan.
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