Final Four 2015: Best Matchups to Watch

The 2015 Final Four in Indianapolis will feature Hall of Fame coaches, first round draft picks and rabid fans.

Kentucky hasn't given into the pressure of being declared one of the best college basketball teams of all time.

Duke has overcome its questionable defense, and the transcendent play of Jahlil Okafor and fellow freshmen Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones have led Mike Krzyzewski to Final Four No. 12.

Wisconsin made good on its promise to return to the Final Four.

Tom Izzo proved once again that Michigan State should never be counted out while he's the conductor.

With all of that in mind, here are three key matchups to watch that will play a heavy role in deciding the outcome of these final games.

Kentucky's Defense vs. Wisconsin's Offense

It's the best defense in the country against the best offense in the country, the classic meeting of immovable D versus unstoppable O.

Something has to give.

Kentucky's vaunted defense has yet to be overcome, despite a spirited effort from Notre Dame in the Elite Eight. Wisconsin's offense has hummed along at San Antonio Spursian levels for most of the season, even with the loss of senior guard Traevon Jackson for half the year.

John Calipari's Wildcats were too much for Wisconsin in the Final Four last year, winning on an Aaron Harrison three in the closing seconds of the game. Unfortunately for the Badgers, this Kentucky team is even better.

Seven-footer Frank Kaminsky's status as an unanimous AP All-American and Sports Illustrated's Player of the Year isn't likely to phase Kentucky's two future lottery picks—7-foot Willie Cauley-Stein and 6'11" Karl-Anthony Towns. But that doesn't mean college basketball's most stifling towers are taking the challenge lightly.

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“I’m glad we get a week to prepare for them,” Cauley-Stein told The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore.

In last year's game, Calipari threw a variety of defenders at Kaminsky while employing double teams and help nearly every time he touched the rock. Kaminsky finished with just eight points on 4-of-7 shooting. Calipari is likely to employ a similar strategy, which means it will once again be up to the other Badgers to decide this game.

If Sam Dekker continues his torrid shooting pace from nearly everywhere on the court and Kaminsky's shooting prowess can draw the Kentucky bigs outside, Wisconsin has a chance to frustrate and even upset the best defense in college hoops.

Kentucky will look to swallow up Kaminsky and Dekker while limiting the looks created for Bronson Koenig (41.1% 3PT), Josh Gasser (38.4% 3PT) and Nigel Hayes (38.0% 3PT).

Wisconsin can't match Kentucky's size or speed—no college team can—but the revenge factor might provide an added layer of determination to a Badgers team once again on the cusp of the throne.

“Coming into the summer, it was all about national championship, because we were that close,” senior guard Josh Gasser told Kilgore.

“We really believe we can win it.”

Jahlil Okafor vs. Michigan State's Frontcourt

An AP All-American, Wooden Award finalist and possible No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, Okafor has already had one of the best freshman seasons in Duke basketball history. A national championship would be the perfect end to his one-year stay in Durham, North Carolina.

Standing in the 6'11" Okafor's way is the smallest frontcourt remaining in the NCAA tournament: 6'9" Matt Costello, 6'6" Branden Dawson and 6'5" Denzel Valentine. This looks like exactly the kind of game Okafor needs to regain his groove, which seemed to abandon him in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

The breakdown of Okafor's first four NCAA tournament games, per Sports Illustrated's David Gardner:

"

In the first two rounds against Robert Morris and San Diego State, respectively, he posted offensive ratings of 121 and 137 and scored a combined 37 points on 21-of-27 shooting. Then, in the regionals against Utah and Gonzaga—teams with legitimate 7-footers in their frontcourts—Okafor’s offensive ratings dipped to 57 and 86 and he failed to score in double figures in either game.

"

Okafor made easy work out of the Spartans earlier this season, posting 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, five rebounds and two blocks in Duke's 81-71 win (which also happened to come in Indianapolis).

Izzo revealed how he might plan to prevent more dominance from Okafor on CSN Chicago's Kap and Haugh:

"There'll be mixed things," Izzo said. "He had a pretty good game against us earlier in the year. ... I think you need to come in with a couple things in your bag, because I'm not sure one will work. You figure he's going to score some points...but make sure those three-point shooters don't kill us."

As Izzo knows, that's easier said than done. It will be up to Michigan State's experienced, albeit overmatched, frontcourt to execute the master of March Madness's plan to perfection.

One-and-Done vs. Upperclassman

Duke and Kentucky represent the new era of one-and-done basketball. Duke starts three freshmen, all of whom are key contributors: Okafor, Winslow (he of the chase-down block) and Jones. Four of the top seven in Kentucky's minutes played per game are freshmen: Towns, Tyler Ulis, Trey Lyles and Devin Booker.

Conversely, Michigan State and Wisconsin thrive on the play of their upperclassmen. Wisconsin doesn't have a single freshman who plays major minutes, while the only freshmen who have received significant run from Izzo during this tournament are Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn (16.5 MPG) and Marvin Clark (12.3 MPG).

Both Duke and Kentucky lean on some upperclassmen—Duke with senior Quinn Cook and junior Amile Jefferson; Kentucky with Cauley-Stein—but each team's play is largely dependent upon the performance of freshmen and sophomores.

Duke and Kentucky, through Coach K and Coach Cal, have adapted to this new age of one-and-done stars arguably better than anyone. Each school has become a breeding ground for future lottery picks, and the top prospects in the nation all know it.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Michigan State and Wisconsin, through Izzo and Bo Ryan, respectively, have managed to recruit excellent players who stay and develop for three or four years. Those young men are the exact reason these two Big Ten teams are in this very position right now.

It seems like every season the college basketball world has some sort of referendum on what this era of college basketball means. The outcome of these contests likely won't change anyone's opinions on the matter, but it's interesting that this year's Final Four is evenly split between the "old school" and "new school."

These next three games will tell us which brand of college basketball will prevail, ending the argument once and for all (try to stifle your laughter).

Advanced statistics are courtesy of KenPom.com.