Final Four 2015 Schedule: Complete TV Info, Updated Bracket and Predictions

The Kentucky Wildcats are a team of destiny. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish gave John Calipari's team their stiffest test yet in the Elite Eight, and the Wildcats passed. The Fighting Irish's efficient offense and talented point guard Jerian Grant nearly ended Kentucky's undefeated dream season.

None of the three remaining teams has the same components to push Kentucky to that point again. 

Time(ET)	Matchup	TV
6:09 p.m.	(7) Michigan State vs (1) Duke	TBS
8:49 p.m.	(1) Wisconsin vs (1) Kentucky	TBS

The march toward a national championship begins on Saturday, when Kentucky will prove to be too long and athletic for Wisconsin. The Badgers play a strict man-to-man defense, but that scheme is problematic against a squad like Kentucky. In addition to its athletic prowess and length at almost every position, Kentucky is also extraordinarily deep. 

That depth will allow the Wildcats to wear the Badgers down. By winning the battle of the boards, and thus controlling the tempo of the game in the second half, Kentucky will likely have an easier time dispatching the Badgers than many expect.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Wisconsin stars Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker will see a variety of long, quick athletes that will make it difficult for them to be as effective in half-court sets. Sports Illustrated's Phil Taylor sees it much the same way. He writes:

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The Badgers won’t go quietly, but the only way they win is if they have an incredibly hot shooting night, and Kentucky defends too well on the perimeter—not to mention at the rim—for that to happen. The Wildcats will throw multiple defensive looks at Frank Kaminsky in an attempt to keep him off-balance, and with their multitude of big men, they have the personnel to make that work.

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While good enough to keep this one close early, Wisconsin won't be able to maintain. I expect Kentucky to pull away for a double-digit win in the second half. 

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

While the Duke Blue Devils aren't a match for Kentucky, they will end the Michigan State Spartans' run toward a national championship. Size and the Spartans' routine struggles at the free-throw line should be the difference.

Duke isn't exactly a sharp-shooting club from the stripe, but their 69 percent shooting trumps the Spartans' 63 percent accuracy. In a game that figures to be physical, the team that converts the higher rate of free-throw attempts should come out on top.

Also, the Spartans lack the size necessary to contend with Jahlil Okafor and Marshall Plumlee inside.

Throughout the tournament, the Spartans have gotten away with playing senior Branden Dawson as an interior force. He is averaging 9.1 rebounds per game on the season, but he's only 6'6". Duke will make a concerted effort to run its offense through Okafor to take advantage of its edge in size inside.

Neither Dawson or Gavin Schilling will be able to check him without a double-team. That will open up Duke's shooters on the perimeter and slashers like Justise Winslow. It will prove to be a more efficient attack than the one the Spartans muster. 

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