April 03--INDIANAPOLIS -- As much as their Final Four matchup is anticipated, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky and Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein talked passionately Thursday not about the pending clash of big men but of their shared affinity for a video game.
"You've got to know where he is on the court at all times, he's that good," Kaminsky said. "Personality-wise, we were talking about Super Smash Bros. on the way up here, so I feel like we would get along."
Probably not so much on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the No. 1 seeds meet for a second straight season in the Final Four.
In last season's loss to Kentucky, Kaminsky was held to eight points and five rebounds. Cauley-Stein did not play in the Elite Eight, Final Four or championship game last season because of an ankle injury.
The experiences fueled each of them.
"I learned that maybe I wasn't as good as I thought I was," Kaminsky said. "Just going against a team like (Kentucky), they have so many elite players on the court at all times, I just struggled and didn't play as well as I wanted to. I think that was a big driving factor, motivating factor to try to get back here, try to play better than we did last year, hopefully come out on top."
Cauley-Stein, who averages 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, was asked if his presence could have made a difference in the Wildcats' loss last season to Connecticut in the championship game.
"I'm not a fortune teller," he said. "I can't really tell you that. I mean, I would like to think so, but I can't really say."
Each player has been pivotal in his team's return to the NCAA tournament's grandest stage.
Cauley-Stein, a 7-foot junior, is the elder statesman on a team noted for likely NBA-bound freshmen. He notably chased down Notre Dame's Jerian Grant on the errant 3-point attempt that advanced the Wildcats to the Final Four.
"He has come so far as a player, but more importantly as a person," Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
Likewise, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said he has not had a player progress as much as Kaminsky in four seasons. The 7-footer from Lisle, who averages 18.7 points and eight rebounds per game, is the leading player of the year candidate.
"It's not the finish, because Frank is still getting better," Ryan said. "He's worked at every drill. He's worked at everything we've given him. He's looked at the films. He's very astute when it comes to picking up nuances of moves, using his body, positioning. For somebody to go to the level he has, from start to finish, no, I've never had a player like that."
sryan@tribpub.com
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