March Madness 2015: Updated Schedule, Bracket and Key Players for Final Four

Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Michigan State are four of the most storied programs in NCAA history. It’s fitting that they are the only teams left standing.

UK and Duke rank first and fourth, respectively, in all-time wins. Coach Tom Izzo has become arguably the greatest March Madness coach in history. The Badgers, though they don’t share the rich lore of the other three, have made it to the Big Dance 18 times in the past 19 years.

But the champion of this tournament won’t be determined by which team has filled up more history books.

The players—from the lottery-bound freshmen of Kentucky and Duke to the veterans of Wisconsin and Michigan State—will decide the outcome.

Bracket

Schedule

Date	Time	Matchup	How to Watch
4/4	6:09 p.m.	(7) Michigan State vs. (1) Duke	TBS
4/4	8:49 p.m.	(1) Wisconsin vs. (1) Kentucky	TBS
4/6	9 p.m.	National Championship	CBS

Key Players

Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Unanimous first team All-American, front-runner for the John Wooden Award, 7’0” monster and complete goofball—Frank Kaminsky, ladies and gentlemen:

"

This @BadgerMBB stud sure can cut a rug! http://t.co/Kb9xgUdGzd

— March Madness TV (@MarchMadnessTV) March 29, 2015"

No. 44 has shouldered quite a load this season, leading the Badgers with 18.7 points on 54.9 percent shooting, eight rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Kaminsky is as versatile a player as there is in the game today—he can back down his man in the post or step beyond the arc and stroke a three-pointer.

The senior has faced all kinds of double-team schemes throughout his career, but he has never ran into a team as big and lengthy as this year’s Kentucky squad. Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson and Trey Lyles will form a forest of long limbs in the paint.

Still, Kaminsky and the Badgers have been hungry for revenge since UK’s Aaron Harrison broke Wisconsin’s heart in the regional final last season.

“It wasn’t a tough decision for me, how painful that loss was and how much I wanted to improve my game,” junior forward Sam Dekker, Kaminsky’s co-star, said, per Karen Crouse of The New York Times. “Frank and I both, we really didn’t have to talk about it much. That loss left a sour taste in our mouths, so we wanted to get back.”

Notre Dame nearly upset the Wildcats in the Elite Eight, but they were too small. If Dekker and the rest of the Badgers can catch fire from the outside, Kaminsky might have a chance to lift his team to the national championship game.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky

Kentucky isn’t winning anything without Cauley-Stein.

WCS doesn’t have the eye-popping numbers that Kaminsky has—9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and one assist per game—but he’s also a finalist for the Wooden Award and a first team All-American.

Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio helped explain why:

"

Willie Cauley-Stein becomes the first AP First Team All-American to average less than 10 points a game. Testament to his amazing defense

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 30, 2015"

Cauley-Stein is an elite defensive player. Not OK, not good—elite. He’s a freak athlete capable of making plays above the rim, and whenever the Wildcats need a spark, whether it be an emphatic swat or a glass-shattering dunk, the 7’0” junior is there to make it.

ESPN’s Chad Ford pointed to a key play against Notre Dame and explained why Cauley-Stein is a projected top-10 pick:

"

Willie Cauley-Stein’s end-to-end defense on Jerian Grant on last possession? That's why scouts believe he could guard all 5 positions in NBA

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) March 29, 2015"

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

 Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller noted that the 'Cats will need a well-rounded Cauley-Stein going forward:

"

[Karl-Anthony] Towns is a phenomenally talented big man, but Kentucky needs contributions from both its hyphenated stars. In the closer of Kentucky's two tournament games (against Cincinnati and Notre Dame), Willie Cauley-Stein has averaged 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 0.5 assists and 0.5 steals.

Those aren't terrible numbers, but we all know the 7'0" finalist for the Naismith Award can do so much more—especially in the rebounding and steals departments. He doesn't need to score in double figures to have a huge impact, but the Wildcats certainly wouldn't complain if he decided to score 10 or more.

"

Expect WCS to show up in a big way against Kaminsky and the Badgers.

Travis Trice, Michigan State

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Every underdog team needs someone like Travis Trice.

A leader by both words and actions. A warrior undaunted by the size or strength of an opponent. A killer.

Along with his backcourt mate Denzel Valentine, the 6’0” Trice has been a driving force behind this MSU Cinderella run. After averaging just 5.5 points and two assists through his first three years under Tom Izzo, Trice has exploded for 15.3 points and 5.1 dimes per game this season.

He’s an assassin from beyond the arc, having made three-plus three-pointers 17 times in 2014-15. When Louisville took Michigan State into overtime on Sunday, it was Trice who calmed his teammates down, per Bill Pennington of The New York Times:

"

Earlier, in the huddle before the overtime period, Izzo prepared to give his team a pep talk.

“But Travis was telling the guys that we’re going to be O.K.,” Izzo said. “So I didn’t say anything.”

The Spartans’ Branden Dawson said Trice had told them: “Hey, this is our eighth overtime game this season. We’ve got this. We’re going to win.”

Dawson added, “We believed Travis.”

"

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein pointed out how much Trice has grown from last year:

"

What a difference a year makes. Travis Trice didn't score a point last year in the Elite 8 against UConn. 17, 5, + 4 today. Impressive.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 29, 2015"

The cub-sized guard has the heart—and game—of a lion. He’ll have his hands full going against Duke’s Tyus Jones, but Trice has proved that he’s ready for anything.

Tyus Jones, Duke

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Speak of the (Blue) Devil.

Jahlil Okafor gets a ton of attention, and rightfully so. Whatever press the potential No. 1 pick doesn’t get, Justise Winslow has picked up thanks to his tournament heroics.

But let’s not forget about Jones—the scrappy, skilled floor general who has helped steer this ship into the Final Four.

The idea of leaving for the pros might come knocking once the season ends, but for now, Jones is zeroed in on one thing.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

“I’m just focusing on the goal of winning a national championship right now,” he said, per Amelia Rayno of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Jones, who will likely line up against Trice for much of the game, needs to come up big if Duke is to advance to the national title game.

The freshman, who plays like a veteran, has put up back-to-back 15-point performances. In Duke’s nail-biting win over Gonzaga on Sunday, Jones played 40 minutes and didn’t commit a single turnover while dishing out six assists.

Last April, Jones essentially told the world where he planned to be this time of year:

"

Indianapolis 2015

— Tyus Jones (@Tyusjones06) April 5, 2014"

And here we are.

Michigan State can’t shut down every stud the Blue Devils have. If Jones can win the battle against Trice on both ends, the Dukies are likely to move on.

All stats are courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.