INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Nobody ever said they were perfect. Now, the Kentucky Wildcats aren’t undefeated, either.
The hard-nosed Wisconsin Badgers did what nobody else could Saturday night – knocking off the Wildcats 71-64 behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from Frank Kaminsky and a clutch comeback down the stretch.
Now, it’s Wisconsin heading to the final to play Duke, an 81-61 winner over Michigan State in the earlier – and much less entertaining – semifinal.
“It gives us another 40 minutes, I know that,” said Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, who leads the Badgers to their first final since 1941.
And Kentucky has a long ride home, finishing the season at 38-1 – two wins short of becoming the first undefeated team in college basketball since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. Instead, these NBA-ready group of Wildcats join the star-studded 1991 UNLV team as the latest to take an undefeated record into the Final Four but lose in the semifinals.