Wisconsin vs. Kentucky: 5 differences in the rematch

Mar 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) celebrates the 85-78 victory against Arizona Wildcats during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

1.) A different Sam Dekker

The difference between 2014 tournament Sam and 2015 tournament Sam has been night and day.  In the 2014 tournament, Dekker averaged just 10.4 points.  He scored a total of 52 points in his five tournament games, with his high of 15 coming in the loss to Kentucky.

This tournament, Dekker has been the MVP.  He has averaged 21.7 points in his four games, dropped a career-high 27 in the Elite Eight against Arizona, and was named the West Region’s Most Outstanding Player.

While All-American Frank Kaminsky has been the workhorse for a few years now, many were waiting to see Sam Dekker break out of his shell and contribute like many knew he could.  Even in the 2015 regular season, Dekker was only averaging 13 points per game.

But after waiting for quite sometime, Dekker has shown his ability to be a top NBA prospect and major contributor to this team.  Badger fans knew Dekker had that potential, they just had to wait and see it when it actually counted.

Last year’s Kentucky team didn’t have to deal with a Sam Dekker that was playing at the top of his game.  This year they do.