Bo knows how to pull off big upset with Wisconsin
Not much Bo Ryan does is cool these days. His old-school approach gets mocked by the kids, which might explain why no kid on Wisconsin’s roster was a McDonald’s All-American. He recruits kids who play defense instead of show off in dunk contests.
Ryan spends so much time barking at officials and complaining that he seems to be auditioning for a role in the next “Grumpy Old Men” movie.
But one cool thing is his nickname. William Francis is his given name, so “Bo” sounds better. It definitely sounds tougher than Francis.
But the point is Bo knows how to win basketball games these days, and winning always is cool. The misconception about the Badgers is they win ugly. Those were the old days. This team is different.
Wisconsin, which has run the nation’s most efficient offense this season, averaged 80.5 points in its four NCAA Tournament wins.
It’s the kind of high-scoring attack Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has become a big fan of this team, can appreciate.
But the Badgers are running into an undefeated Kentucky team, one with several super-sized McDonald’s All-Americans, in a Final Four semifinal today in Indianapolis. The Wildcats (38-0) are 5-point favorites.
“It should be two-way action, and it should be an incredible game,” said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill sports book director. “I would love to see Wisconsin beat them.”
Kentucky escaped an incredible, down-to-the-wire scare from Notre Dame last week, and this looks like the same type of game. The Fighting Irish were able to spread the floor and find the few weak spots in the Wildcats’ defense. The Badgers can do something similar.
Notre Dame had quicker guards who could dribble drive to the rim. Wisconsin does not have that same aspect to its attack, but it does have an athletic front line, and that’s why it is the team that matches up best with Kentucky.
Frank Kaminsky, a 7-foot senior, hits 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers. Sam Dekker, 6-9 junior forward, lit up Arizona from long range last week. Nigel Hayes, 6-7 sophomore forward, also shoots it well.
This is only the second time all season the Badgers have been underdogs. The first time was when Dekker shot down Arizona, a 1½-point favorite, in an 85-78 win in Los Angeles.
The 5-point spread matches the lowest number Kentucky has had to cover all season. The last meeting between these teams, in last year’s Final Four, was decided by one. Wisconsin matched up well.
This time around, Kaminsky is more confident, Dekker is getting more aggressive, and Hayes is more of a factor. Bo knows the Badgers are not going to be intimidated.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky’s 6-11 freshman who was unstoppable in the middle against Notre Dame, was not around last year. That’s another big difference.
“When they look good, you wonder how you could ever bet against them,” Bruce Marshall, a handicapper for The Gold Sheet, said of the Wildcats.
At times, Kentucky can appear unstoppable, but those times have been rare recently. Being unbeaten can be a burden, and the pressure is on the Wildcats.
Final Four forecast: Wisconsin by 2.
If Towns is not the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in June, it probably will be Jahlil Okafor, Duke’s 6-11 freshman. Okafor should be the biggest factor in today’s other semifinal, because Michigan State does not match up with him in the low post.
The Blue Devils were 5-point favorites over the Spartans all week until the line was bet to 5½ on Friday, and I agree with the money.
Michigan State is 4-0 against the spread in the tournament, but this is when coach Tom Izzo’s surprising runs usually end.
“For whatever reason, people latched on to this Michigan State team early on, and they have cashed all the tickets,” Bogdanovich said. “Izzo always is a master at this time of year.”
He’s a master in March, but not so much in April, and Izzo is 1-8 against Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The Blue Devils are playing lock-down defense, allowing an average of 53.5 points in their four tournament wins.
Okafor, Quinn Cook and Justise Winslow are too talented to stop on the offensive end.
Final Four forecast: Duke by 7.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.