Final Four 2015: Complete Odds, TV Schedule and Predictions

The 2015 Final Four, comprised of a doubleheader of college basketball at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, is all set to be the epic, archetypal clash of champions that hoops fans hope for every season.

In one game, you have Kentucky, the NBA finishing school on a quest for immortality via an undefeated season, against Wisconsin, master practitioners of a clock-bleeding, brutally efficient offense.

In the other semifinal, there's Michigan State, represented by the brilliant coach Tom Izzo and his merry band of overachievers, versus Duke, which features the immovable Jahlil Okafor as the center of gravity around which the likes of Justise Winslow cuts a fearsome orbit.

With several future NBAers out on the court in Indianapolis, the basketball on display should be nothing short of spectacular. It's a back-to-back slate setting up the championship affair on Monday, and it all amounts to essential Saturday sports viewing.

Here's a look at the TV info, bracket and odds, followed by predictions for the Final Four matchups.

Odds, Schedule

Date	Matchup (w/ spread)	Time (ET)	TV	Odds
April 4	No. 1 Duke (-6) vs. No. 7 Michigan State	6:09 p.m.	TBS	Duke 20/21, MSU 20/23
April 4	No. 1 Kentucky (-5) vs. No. 1 Wisconsin	8:49 p.m.	TBS	WIS 10/11, UK 10/11

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Saturday, April 4 at 5 a.m. ET. Also, alternate television broadcasts can be found on TNT and TruTV, featuring partisan broadcasters for each team, per Victor Mather of The New York Times.


Predictions

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wisconsin

Trying to put a shot up inside against the Wildcats often seems like trying to thread a golf ball past the windmill obstacle on the most sinister mini-golf course ever.

Between Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson and Karl-Anthony Towns, there always seems to be a lengthy shot-blocker ready to deny a potential scorer's best attempts. For Wisconsin, a team centered on the tandem post duo of Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, this might seem to be an insurmountable problem.

However, Kaminsky and Dekker's nuanced games could prove to be effective in this one. The Washington Post's Matthew Giles details how Kaminsky's skill set spaces the floor for his teammates:

"

Those fakes also invert the offense, causing whichever big is guarding Kaminsky to leave the confines of the paint and guard him in the open half court, and Kaminsky, a 7-foot senior who possesses the foot speed of a player several inches shorter, takes advantage and finishes on the interior through feints, dribble drives, and sure-footed moves.

"

Dekker has emerged as an equally potent offensive force in this tournament, as noted by ESPN's John Gasaway:

Kentucky has a penchant for getting off to slow starts in games, something that Wisconsin is designed to take advantage of with its own hyper-efficient attack. The Badgers won't mind if the early goings are a slow, painful mash, just so long as they are able to wind down the clock and hit the key shots. 

The ability of Dekker, Bronson Koenig and Josh Gasser to sink shots from outside will be crucial; Kentucky has allowed opponents to shoot just 26.7 percent from three-point range this season, per NCAA.com. Wading into the paint might seem like a disastrous plan of attack, but the alternative isn't much better. 

Wisconsin's defense hasn't proved to be quite as efficient as some of the other elite teams in the nation, so the Wildcats should be able to wear their opposition down as the game progresses. It may seem strange that a team this good has a leading scorer (Andrew Harrison) who is averaging just 11.0 points per game, but that's a testament to the depth and strength of this squad.

Towns and Cauley-Stein should prove to be the most problematic players for Wisconsin to defend on Saturday. Kaminsky can match Cauley-Stein in height and length, but the latter's raw power is something to behold when he gets a clear path to the lane.

As for Towns, his 10.1 points per game seems a whole lot more threatening once you realize he averages just a shade less than 21 minutes per contest. He was magnificent in a 25-point performance against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, dishing out most of that damage in the second half. 

Wisconsin will likely have the lead at halftime and into the second half, but the final 15 minutes or so will see the slow erosion of the Badgers' attack in the face of Kentucky's pounding defense.

With John Calipari's diabolical platoon working so effectively for much of the season, his players will dig that much deeper and edge Wisconsin on Saturday.

Prediction: Kentucky 56-53 Wisconsin

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 7 Michigan State

This matchup could prove to be an all-time great coaching battle between Mike Krzyzewski and Izzo. Both men have turned their programs into late-March, early-April staples. While Coach K might have the more talented squad, it's Izzo who might have the hungrier collection of players.

"Nobody counted them in,” Izzo said of his squad, via William C. Rhoden of The New York Times. “We weren’t even ranked in the beginning of the year. And they didn’t complain about that. We understood where we were; we understood we had some things to prove.”

The on-court matchups will be the difference in this one, as Izzo and Krzyzewski appear set to neutralize each other in the battle of the minds.

The war on the perimeter will be delightful. Watching Michigan State's Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine and Duke's duo of Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones all trade long-range daggers throughout this game will prove to be excellent entertainment.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Look out for the Spartan's Bryn Forbes to tip the war on the outside in Michigan State's favor. He popped up for 14 points against Georgia in the second round and put up 14 points (4-of-6 from three-point range) in Michigan State's overtime win against Louisville in the Elite Eight.

Inside, Michigan State doesn't appear to have an answer for Jahlil Okafor. Matt Costello lacks the athleticism, Gavin Schilling the guile and Branden Dawson the size. Okafor should be able to rumble and rock his way to a comfortable double-double. 

While Dawson's ability to command a game defensively at 6'6" is not to be underestimated, his scoring has dipped as the tournament has worn on. He put up just nine points against Louisville and six against Oklahoma in the Sweet 16. He lacks the two-way potency of the other great swingman in this game, Duke's Justise Winslow. 

Grantland's Andrew Sharp recently noted the freshman's impact on games in this tournament:

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He overpowers big men for rebounds. His blocks demoralize people on defense. He careens through the lane in transition. The whole thing just looks exhausting for anyone stuck defending him. It’s like teams spend entire games guarding everyone else on the floor, and then look up and say, “We have to deal with THIS?”

Now he’s even hitting jumpers. He shot 40 percent from 3 during the regular season, and he is 7-12 from beyond the arc in the tournament...

"

The Spartans will likely remain competitive in this game right down to the wire—it's easy, and fun, to imagine Trice nailing a few big shots down the stretch to keep Duke honest—but Okafor's dominance down low should make the difference as the Blue Devils escape with a narrow, hard-fought win Saturday.

Prediction: Duke 71-64 Michigan State