Roundtable: Duke or Michigan State? Kentucky or Wisconsin?

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Who’s going to win: Kentucky or Wisconsin?

Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): Kentucky, because I want to see them play against Duke in the final.

Chris Stone (@cstonehoops): The smart money is on Kentucky, and I suppose I’ll ride with them. The Wildcats received a bit of a wake up call in their win over Notre Dame. That should keep them on their toes against Wisconsin. Although the Badgers have a slightly more impressive offense than the Irish, I think Kentucky’s impressive defense will hold them at bay.

Tom Fehr (@TJFsports): This is going to be a really, really good game. The smart money is on Kentucky, like Chris said, but I’ll live dangerously and go with the Badgers. Frank Kaminsky will be quite the matchup against the Kentucky frontcourt, and Sam Dekker is quite the matchup problem overall.

Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck): Obligatory NO ONE CARES ABOUT MY BRACKET disclaimer, but I picked Kentucky to win the tournament before this all started. Wisconsin is a worthy foil, but UK is still the most talented team in the country, and not a bunch that I have a strong interest in betting against. Give me the Wildcats.

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): Wisconsin has a historically good offense. Kentucky has a historically good defense. It’s a dream Final Four matchup, and either winner will certainly have earned the right to play in the National Championship game. Kentucky has more raw talent as a whole, but I think Wisconsin might play better as a team on both ends. Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky are extremely polished, composed college basketball players, and they won’t go down easily. However, Kentucky doesn’t face a lot of matchup issues because of the versatility of its squad, so it’s tough to imagine them not being able to find ways to slow down the Badgers and win this game. I already picked against Kentucky once in my bracket, and that was stupid enough.

Who’s going to win: Duke or Michigan State?

Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): Duke, because I want to see them play against Kentucky in the final.

Chris Stone (@cstonehoops): Jahlil Okafor will present a matchup problem for Michigan State. He hasn’t performed up to par in the past few tournament games, but should be poised for a breakout in Indianapolis. Although Izzo is revered for his performance in March, I expect a comfortable (8-to-10 point) Duke victory here.

Tom Fehr (@TJFsports): Duke. Tom Izzo is amazing, but Duke should have a bit too much for Sparty. Look for Okafor to have a dominant game and Justise Winslow to continue his hot streak.

Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck): Duke. I have fallen out of love (to an extent!) with Jahlil Okafor as a next-level prospect, but he should feast. And if Michigan State over-helps, he’s a tremendous passer out of the post with tons of weapons around him, including the possible player of the tournament, Justise Winslow.

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): Michigan State is a fun story and the hot team of the tournament, but they don’t possess the same level of talent as Duke. The Blue Devils hold almost every positional advantage, and those mismatches all over the floor will be tough for the Spartans to overcome. It’s easy to get caught up in the ‘underdog’ making a run, but it’s important to remember that Duke is a one seed, and Michigan State is a seven seed for a reason. Tom Izzo performed his typical, magical dance in March to bring his squad this far, but it feels like the road has to end here … right?

Who has the most to prove over the final week of the season?

Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): Jahlil Okafor. His stock has taken a slight hit during the tournament, and a pair of strong outings over the final games of the season would help remind everyone why he was heralded as the top prospect in the draft for the majority of the season.

Chris Stone (@cstonehoops): I’m going with Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker. As our own Greg Mason wrote, he’s had an impressive tournament run so far, but his collegiate career has been characterized by inconsistency. Another great performance in the Final Four could push Dekker’s stock even higher heading into the NBA Draft.

Tom Fehr (@TJFsports): I’ll go with Frank Kaminsky. If he’s able to put up a great performance against the likes of Towns and Cauley-Stein on the biggest stage, that will catch the eye of a lot of NBA people.

Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck): I don’t know that he necessarily has to “prove” anything, but the stakes seem highest for Justise Winslow. He’s riding a metric ton of momentum into the Final Four, and for better or worse there are a ton of evaluators who put a heavy emphasis on tournament play. Two more standout games — or maybe just one — would do a lot to separate him in a bunched wing crop in the early-mid lottery.

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): Sam Dekker. He had a huge performance against two of the strongest defenders in college basketball in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, and his game is peaking when it matters most. However, he’s still pretty one dimensional on drives to the rim — his bread and butter — and he won’t be able to simply overpower defenders at the next level. He’s yet to face a team with as much length and size as Kentucky, and his play against the Wildcats might be more indicative of what he will or will not be capable of at the next level. Of course, it will be an incredibly small sample size, but with a huge magnifying glass on this game it could be a big game for Dekker’s stock one way or the other.