Thanks to the NCAA March Madness vault on YouTube, we can go back and watch the 2015 Wisconsin vs. Kentucky Final Four rematch anytime. The five-year anniversary of the game inspired me to do just that.
With 6:32 left in the basketball game, Kentucky led Wisconsin 60-56. Karl Anthony-Towns had just gotten himself another bucket near the rim, and the ‘Cats looked like they had a chance to pull away. Over the final 6:32, the Badgers went on a 15-4 run to come away with the 71-64 win. There were many moments throughout that final 6:32 that Badger fans will never forget, but holding Kentucky to four points was what sent UW to the championship game.
So, how did a team with Karl Anthony-Towns, Devin Booker, and Willie Cauley-Stein manage to score only four points in the most important 6:32 of their season? A combination of excellent Wisconsin defense and very questionable decisions from the Kentucky sideline. All of a sudden, the ‘Cats found themselves in multiple late shot clock situations because of excellent ball denial from Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker. What did Kentucky go to in those situations with their season on the line? The Harrison twins in a “1-4 low” set. Essentially, that means they let Andrew Harrison attack either Josh Gasser or Bronson Koenig and let the other four Kentucky players stand down low. It did not work. Gasser and Koenig each had their moments defensively as they forced a few of the most awkward floaters you will ever see.
The real defensive strength started down low. As Wisconsin’s frontline denied Towns and Trey Lyles to get touches early and often in the shot clock, Kentucky once again resorted to bad, late shot clock offense. With under 3:30 to go, Towns had solid position on Dekker looking to put UK up two possessions. After Dekker was switched on Towns, Kaminsky made an excellent play to knock it away from the future number one pick. That deflection led to a second consecutive shot clock violation for Kentucky.
On the ensuing Kentucky possession, with the game now tied, UK went once again to the “1-4 low” set with Andrew Harrison after failing to get the ball down low early. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. It resulted in Koenig forcing Harrison into an awkward, twisting floater. Then Dekker hit the biggest step-back in Wisconsin basketball history to put UW up 63-60. Anybody remember what happened next? The Sheboygan native drew a charge on Lyles and the Badgers found themselves in the drivers seat. Arguably the greatest two-play sequence in Wisconsin basketball history.
Kentucky looked absolutely desperate for offense, and left Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker on the bench. Maybe the only unfair thing about having as much talent as the 2014-15 ‘Cats, is that you essentially have to leave two or three NBA players on the bench in crunch time. Unfortunately for Kentucky, the wrong two were left on the pine.
The Badgers refused to lose in 2015, and excellent defense brought the win home. It was fitting that all five Wisconsin players on the floor were able to have their moments on the defensive end. Team defense is largely what UW was built upon in the Bo Ryan era, and it’s what gave them their biggest win ever.
