NCAA Tournament Final Four preview: No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET, TBS
Kentucky Wildcats (38-0)
No. 1 seed, Midwest Region
Coach: John Calipari (sixth season)
Bid: SEC tournament champions
Starting lineup
G Aaron Harrison, 6-6, So., 11.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg
G Andrew Harrison, 6-6, So., 9.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.6 apg
F Trey Lyles, 6-10, Fr., 8.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F Karl-Anthony Towns, 6-11, Fr., 10.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg
C Willie Cauley-Stein, 7-0, Jr., 9.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg
MORE: Notre Dame vs. Kentucky recap | DeCourcy on Wildcats' win | PHOTOS: A season of supremacy
Story lines
— With each win, the Wildcats continue to write history in their attempt to become the first team to ever win 40 games in a season.
— After beating Hampton, Cincinnati and blowing out West Virginia, the Wildcats came from behind to get by No. 3 Notre Dame in the Midwest Region final. Andrew Harrison drained a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining to help lift Kentucky to a 68-66 win over the Irish last weekend. Towns scored 25 points in the win over the Irish.
— The Wildcats and Badgers are meeting in the national semifinals for the second straight year. Aaron Harrison drained a game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds remaining to give Kentucky a 74-73 win over Wisconsin last year. It's the first rematch in consecutive Final Fours since UCLA and Houston met in 1967 and 1968. It's just the third time in NCAA Tournament history there has been a national semifinal rematch in consecutive seasons. Cincinnati and California faced off in the 1959 and 1960 Final Fours.
LINEMAKERS: Final Four opening lines | Duke, Wisconsin co-second favorites
Wisconsin Badgers (35-3)
No. 1 seed, West Region
Coach: Bo Ryan (14th season)
Bid: Big Ten tournament champions
Starting lineup
G Bronson Koenig, 6-2, So., 8.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.4 apg
G Josh Gasser, 6-3, Sr., 6.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F Sam Dekker, 6-9, Jr.., 13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg
F Nigel Hayes, 6-7, So., 12.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg
C Frank Kaminsky, 7-0, Sr., 18.7 ppg, 8 rpg, 2.7 apg
MORE: Arizona vs. Wisconsin recap | Dekker clutch as always | PHOTOS: Elite Eight action
Story lines
— Should Wisconsin win its first national championship since 1941, the Badgers will have earned it. Wisconsin beat Coastal Carolina and Oregon before knocking off perennial power North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and then beating Arizona for the second straight year in the West Region final. A win over Kentucky would mean a possible rematch with Duke, which left Madison with a 80-70 win on Dec. 3.
— Kaminsky is one of the 12 finalists for the Wooden Award. He was also the Sporting News Player of the Year. He’s scored in double figures in all but one game this season, leading the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. After scoring 28 points and pulling down 11 rebounds against Arizona last year, he put up 29 points and six boards in last weekend's victory. Dekker is on fire with 50 points over the last two games, including a 5-of-6 performance from behind the 3-point line against Arizona.
— Wisconsin is known for its defense, as is Kentucky, but both teams can score. Wisconsin became just the fifth team to score more than 70 points against Arizona all season. Wisconsin averages 72.8 points per game, and has the nation's 12th-best scoring defense at 57.8 points per game allowed. Kentucky is third-best in points allowed at 53.9 and averages nearly 75 points per contest. Kentucky's length and athleticism could present problems for the Badgers, who will want to slow the game down.