Final Four 2015: Final Scores, Postgame Comments and Reaction

38-1.

The mighty Kentucky Wildcats looked unbeatable for the majority of the season and were two wins away from finishing with an unprecedented 40-0 record. Someone forgot to give Wisconsin the memo.

The Badgers lost in gut-wrenching fashion in the Final Four to the Wildcats last season, but they returned the favor this year with a dramatic victory that came down to the final possessions. It ended the dominant storyline from the college basketball season and set up a title game with one of college basketball's other superpowers.

That opponent will be the Duke Blue Devils, after they eviscerated the Michigan State Spartans in Saturday's other Final Four game. While Michigan State vastly outperformed its No. 7 seed in this tournament, it never really had much of a chance in the second half against the mighty Blue Devils.

Next up is the national title game Monday, but first take a look at the scores and some reaction to Saturday's Final Four.

Saturday's Scores

Matchup	Result
Duke vs. Michigan State	81-61, Duke
Kentucky vs. Wisconsin	71-64, Wisconsin

Final Four Reaction and Comments 

Duke 81, Michigan State 61 

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo put it perfectly after his team lost 81-61 in blowout fashion to Duke, per Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press:

In all, the talent disparity was clear between the top-seeded Blue Devils and the seventh-seeded Spartans. Duke's future lottery picks, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow, were particularly impressive, and Michigan State simply didn't have an answer for them as the deficit continued to grow during the second half.

Okafor finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Winslow tallied 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Denzel Valentine, Branden Dawson and Travis Trice tried their best to keep the Spartans in the game with a combined 50 points, but the rest of the team only scored 11.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman passed along an interesting notion:

Izzo suggested that part of the reason the talent disparity seemed so large was Michigan State simply had an off night, per Rexrode: "It wasn't one of our better games and I think they deserve some credit, and yet I feel bad, because I don't think people got to see the team that won 12 of the last 15 games."

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

It wasn't all easy for Duke, though, as Michigan State jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the opening minutes. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski commented on his team's ability to bounce back from the slow start, per Rexrode:

"After the first four minutes we found out it was going to be even more difficult than we thought. Our kids for the next 36 minutes played lights-out basketball. The defense was terrific. We drove the ball with such strength." 

Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com pointed out what he saw as a turning point:

Valentine would suggest that it was his team's inability to maintain its offensive composure that was the real turning point, per Rexrode: "We took some bad shots and had some bad turnovers. That was the difference in the game … We didn't keep our cool a little bit." 

It was arguably Duke's most impressive performance of the season given the stage, and it pushed Coach K's overwhelming record against Izzo to new heights, as Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated pointed out:

Kent Sterling of CBS Sports 1430 Indianapolis offered something of a consolation mindset for Michigan State:

While that is certainly a fair way of thinking about the Spartans' season, Saturday's result will likely stick with the players for some time.

Wisconsin 71, Kentucky 64

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

So much for narratives.

Kentucky was supposed to be the Goliath of college basketball that steamrolled its way to a national championship with a litany of future NBA stars, after finishing the regular season with an undefeated record. Wisconsin ruined all that in a two-minute stretch of basketball during its 71-64 victory.

The game was tied at 60 with 1:41 remaining, but the Badgers made the critical plays in crunch time, which is almost always the difference when two great teams match up in the Final Four. The Badgers scored their final eight points from the free-throw line in a testament to their ability to come through when the eyes of the college basketball world were upon them.

In all, Frank Kaminsky led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while running mate Sam Dekker tallied 16 points, including a monumental, go-ahead three-pointer and a crucial free throw with fewer than two minutes left.

ESPN commentator Jay Williams pointed out why the NCAA tournament really is madness in situations like Saturday:

The most important takeaway from the game in a big-picture and historical standpoint was the fact that Kentucky was no longer undefeated, as Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports noted, but college basketball fans everywhere were treated to a thriller. It was much needed after the first contest between Duke and Michigan State, and Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore and Grantland's Mark Titus highlighted that mindset:

While it was one of the best games of the entire season, Wisconsin simply executed better than Kentucky in the closing minutes. Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com acknowledged part of the problem for the Wildcats: 

Kentucky will have an entire offseason to regret the stretch run, but Wisconsin now gets to look ahead to a matchup with Duke. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv passed along a quote from head coach Bo Ryan regarding the national title game:

The key for the Badgers will be to refocus their energy on the showdown with the Blue Devils. While getting motivated for a national championship clash shouldn't be that hard, there is something to be said for having to recover from such an emotionally draining game a mere 48 hours before the next one.

Wisconsin lost in heartbreaking fashion to Kentucky last year and was clearly motivated by the opportunity to beat the Wildcats and enact some revenge. Between that and the end of the undefeated record, Saturday's result certainly felt like a championship for the Badgers.

But if Wisconsin's players or coaches are already satisfied, it will actually mean a championship for Duke on Monday.