Lucas Oil Stadium was the site of the 2015 NCAA National Championship between the Duke Blue Devils and the Wisconsin Badgers. The game went back and forth for its entirety, with lockdown defense and amazing shots between two different style teams. It was so close that the score was tied at 31 at the end of the first half.
When the second half began, Wisconsin turned it up to another level. They were able to break down Duke’s defense. Led by the 2015 National Player of the Year, Frank Kaminsky. The Badgers kept feeding him the ball, and he would turn the possession into magic. Wisconsin led by as much as 9 points with 8 minutes left in the game. That was when Wisconsin stopped feeding Kaminsky the ball and when the Duke freshman backcourt of Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen changed the game, leading the Blue Devil’s comeback. The backcourt duo managed to score 28 of the team’s 31 second-half points before Duke finally sealed the National Title with a 68-63 win over Wisconsin.
Duke was led by Tyus Jones with 23 and 5 rebounds on 7 of 13 shooting from the field, 2-3 from downtown and 7-7 from the foul line. Grayson Allen added 16 very important points off the bench on 5-8 shooting from the field. After a brilliant start to the tournament, Justise Winslow had a so-so game with 11 points and 9 rebounds. The projected #1 overall pick in this upcoming draft, Jahlil Okafor fought through foul trouble and scored 10 points. This is the 5th National Title for Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski in his long career in Durham.
Wisconsin was led by Frank Kaminsky with 21 points and 12 rebounds in his last game in a Wisconsin uniform. Sam Dekker struggled in the biggest game of his life, scoring only 12 points for the Badgers.
BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:
Wisconsin – 25-61 (41%) FG, 7-21 (33%) 3-pt, 6-10 (60%) FT, 35 rebounds (24 defensive, 11 offensive), 13 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and 5 turnovers.
Duke – 24-51 (47%) FG, 4-11 (36%) 3-pt, 16-20 (80%) FT, 33 rebounds (27 defensive, 6 offensive), 7 assists, 4 steals, 6 blocks and 5 turnovers.
Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils on winning their 5th National Championship!
