NCAA Tournament 2015: Breaking Down Each Team's Key to Winning Final Four

It's not hyperbole to suggest this year's Final Four is one of the best ever.

John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski, Bo Ryan, Tom Izzo. A wealth of surefire top NBA draft selections. Three No. 1 seeds and a No. 7 that Selection Sunday whiffed on in a big way.

The experience, star power and ensuring chess matches are jaw-dropping. Best of all, the four programs have a few days off to best prepare for the matchups in an effort to advance to the title game.

With so many strong elements at play, it only makes sense each contest will come down to a few key factors. Below, let's identify the most important for each team.

Final Four Schedule and Picks

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Pick
April 4	No. 7 Michigan St. vs. No. 1 Duke	6:09 p.m.	TBS	Duke
April 4	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wisconsin	8:49 p.m.	TBS	Kentucky

Each Team's Key to Winning Final Four

Michigan State: Catch Fire on the Perimeter

Michigan State touts a strong defense and reliable offense, but it's going to need one of its best offensive performances of the year to keep pace with Duke.

The Blue Devils rank third in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.com, meaning a star-studded lineup can and will find ways to score no matter how strong the Spartans have looked on the defensive end of the court.

In other words, the guards showcase will need to continue. Against Oklahoma, Travis Trice scored 24 points, and he followed it up with 17 more against Louisville. In those same games, Denzel Valentine scored 18 and 15. Both were the only starters in double digits in both contests.

Against one of the country's best offensive teams with scorers who can pour it on in a hurry at all five spots, Trice and Valentine bear the load of production and title hopes.

Duke: Get Jahlil Okafor Going

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To counteract Michigan State's guard-heavy approach, it might be best for Duke to get things going in the paint once again.

Freshman sensation Jahlil Okafor has been noticeably quiet as of late. He scored 21 and 26 points to start the tournament but has totaled just 15 points over the course of the last two contests.

Synergy Sports Tech breaks down where Okafor continues to struggle:

Maybe it was just a couple of bad matchups against a pair of teams with good size, but Michigan State has its own defensive stalwart in the paint with Branden Dawson.

Duke may have the outright firepower to run the floor with the Spartans' pair of guards, but the better approach would be to slow things down, control the tempo and keep the ball out of their hands.

Okafor needs a return to form for the plan to work.

Wisconsin: Stretch the Floor

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The Wisconsin Badgers, second in ESPN's RPI rankings to Kentucky's first, have something to prove. 

You can see that in this gem from player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky after a win against Arizona:

The confidence is great, and the Badgers have momentum heading into a showdown with undefeated Kentucky.

To pull off the feat, though, Kaminsky will need to spend more time away from the basket than underneath it. He won't be able to impose his will in the paint against a pair of forwards in Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein, who both come in near 7'0".

It's the same approach Notre Dame used in a near-upset of the Wildcats in the Elite Eight, the difference being Wisconsin doesn't have the lights-out shooting from its guards. 

Instead, it'll be up to Kaminsky and others to stretch out Kentucky as much as possible and shoot a high percentage to stand a chance. 

Kentucky: Stay Composed

Kentucky is only through to the Final Four because of its demeanor with its back against the wall. 

Notre Dame had the win in hand. The Fighting Irish shot well from the field, forced Kentucky's big men out of their comfort zone, moved the ball well and capitalized whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Then crunch time hit. 

SportsCenter and SEC Network visualize the difference: 

Kentucky remained calm, hit its shots and went up by two after a pair of free throws. In the waning seconds, the team played strong defense and watched a potential game-winning shot whiff.

The same demeanor needs to follow the Wildcats to the Final Four because the Badgers are the best team they have encountered all season. Wisconsin has the size to bang down low and the shooting touch to stretch out the defense wide.

It's one thing to be the most talented team on paper. It's another to play like it as the opposition crumbles. Kentucky needs composure again in its encounter with Wisconsin.

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.