Arizona Wildcats' Talent Key in Elite 8 Rematch Against Wisconsin Badgers

The Arizona Wildcats fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in a 64-63 overtime decision that cost them a spot in last season's Final Four. But this time, the Cats are equipped with the talent to defeat the defending West Region champions.

Saturday's Elite Eight matchup is the first back-to-back meeting between any two teams on that stage in more than 40 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

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Wisconsin vs. Arizona will be the first time two teams meet in the Elite 8 in consecutive years since 1973-74 (UCLA vs. San Francisco)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 27, 2015"

While nearly 365 days have passed, the Wildcats haven't forgotten that first meeting.

"We were one shot away," Gabe York told Los Angeles Times reporter Chris Foster.

After nearly 45 minutes of blow-for-blow, the Wildcats had what appeared to be the final possession of the game. Nick Johnson was driving to the basket with less than five seconds remaining when the whistle blew. He was called for a charge.

Arizona was awarded one more shot after a blown inbound pass from Wisconsin, but 2.3 seconds wasn't enough for the Wildcats.

Head coach Sean Miller admitted the charge call still crosses his mind in a press conference Friday:

The controversial call aside, why did the team poised as a top title contender lose?

The answer is quite simple: Frank Kaminsky.

The 7-footer scored a game-high 28 points, shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 11-of-20 overall. It's also worth noting that seven of his 11 boards were offensive.

In short, he brought his A-game, and Arizona couldn't handle it. And he'll be a threat again from all over the floor, as demonstrated in this chart by Shot Analytics:

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Frank Kaminsky's shot chart, from @ShotAnalytics Going to be tough to stop. pic.twitter.com/vTflxtO4hm

— Keeping It Heel (@KeepingItHeel) March 26, 2015"

The Badgers enter Saturday's rematch nearly the exact team they were one year ago, with six other players who had combined for 31 of the 36 points outside of Kaminsky in the quarterfinal victory. 

And while the Wildcats also return a core group of guys, they're not quite the same team. They bring two new weapons into the quarterfinal against the Badgers: Brandon Ashley and Stanley Johnson.

Ashley, who had suffered a season-ending foot injury the month before, watched as his team struggled to limit Kaminsky last March. This time, he will be key in defending the Badgers' largest weapon.

The 6'9", 230-pound forward will be able to defend Kaminsky from the perimeter. If Kaleb Tarczewski can guard him down low, the Wildcats will have Kaminsky covered.

As The Washington Post's Matthew Giles suggests, Arizona could also "flip-flop" Ashley and long-armed, elite defensive player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Regardless of what approach Miller takes, you can rest assured Ashley will play a key role.

Then there's Stanley Johnson. The 6'7", 245-pound freshman's added size will pose a significant problem for the Badgers—especially when Ashley, Tarczewski or Hollis-Jefferson is in the mix. The combination of size and frontcourt talent will be a challenge for Wisconsin to defend.

These two additional weapons will give Arizona the edge it needs to get past Wisconsin.

Both teams struggled against their respective Sweet 16 opponents Thursday. While Xavier competed toe-to-toe with Arizona, Wisconsin simply struggled early on against North Carolina. The Badgers managed to stay in the game and eventually pull away, largely thanks to Sam Dekker's 23 points and 10 rebounds.

As CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis noted, the team exhibited vulnerabilities:

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Impressive win by Wisconsin but showed some vulnerabilities. Arizona will take advantage in ways that Carolina couldn't.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 27, 2015"

Arizona's versatile talent will be key in exploiting those vulnerabilities and exposing new ones.

This rematch will be a game of star talent versus fundamentals. If Arizona can successfully limit Kaminsky and Dekker and capitalize on the other end, talent will beat fundamentals.