Wisconsin went to Hollywood as the unassuming brothers in red and white. No matter what others thought throughout the weekend, it was one Frank Kaminsky stealing the show in the shadows of Disneyland. Thanks to his effort in both games the Badgers managed to move on to the Final Four in Arlington, Texas.
Wisconsin won 64-63 in overtime over No. 1 seed Arizona on Saturday night, conjuring up memories of the last Final Four run in 2000.
It took Kaminsky’s second career double-double to make this Final Four run happen, as he had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Yet it wasn’t just that moment that put Kaminsky on display for scouts and the rest of the college basketball viewing public.
Kaminsky has failed to score less than 19 points in each of the last three games, has 19 rebounds and has refused to shoot under 50 percent for the tournament. That effort got him named West Regional Most Outstanding Player.
On Saturday night, Kaminsky stepped up when others were being shut down, as teammate Ben Brust said after the game.
“When we have a guy like Frank who is just such a dual threat, really can finish on the inside and step out from the outside, it really helps open up things for all of us,” said Brust. “He’s a beast and I’m very proud of him. I’m looking forward to going back to work with these guys on Monday.”
Guard Traevon Jackson was the only other Badger to score in double figures against Arizona, pouring in 10 points. He also limited turnovers, committing just two of the Badgers eight turnovers on the night.
For those that haven’t been paying attention to the Badgers all season, Josh Gasser and the rest of the team have a simple message: Who cares.
“Yeah, we don’t really care what other people necessarily think of us,” said Gasser following the win. “Our record, our wins I guess speaks for itself. We’ve had, like Ben said, we’ve gone in and won in tough environments and played great competition all year long and done pretty well. So what other people think doesn’t really matter. We know we’ve got something special inside this locker room, and we’ll try to take advantage of it.”
Wisconsin will take on the winner of Michigan vs. Kentucky in the national semifinal next Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
