Badgers continue run in showdown with Hoyas

Nov 27, 2014 - 3:27 PM Nassau, Bahamas (SportsNetwork.com) - The semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tips off on Thursday afternoon at Imperial Arena, as the second-ranked Wisconsin Badgers take on the Georgetown Hoyas.

The winner moves on to Friday's championship game to play either Butler or Oklahoma, while the losers face off in the third-place game.

While other ranked teams Florida, North Carolina and UCLA all lost in the quarterfinal round of this event, Wisconsin did what was expected by making easy work of UAB on Wednesday, 72-43. The Badgers are now 5-0 on the season with each win coming by at least 24 points.

Georgetown pulled off one of the three upsets in the quarterfinals by downing nationally-ranked Florida in overtime, 66-65. The triumph allowed the Hoyas to remain unbeaten in four tries this season.

The programs have split two all-time meetings but have not met since the 1982-83 season.

The Badgers' bout was never in question, as they ran out to a 14-point lead less than 12 minutes into the game and never allowed UAB to get within single digits of the lead from that point forward. They outshot the Blazers from the field in the 29-point victory, 51.9 percent to 35.3 percent, while outscoring them from the foul line, 13-3. Frank Kaminsky was the catalyst in the triumph with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Duje Dukan came off the bench to net 11 points and Josh Gasser added 10 points to the winning effort.

Wisconsin has had a series of one-sided affairs to begin the season, leaving it with a commanding +30.4 scoring margin while outscoring its opponents from the field, 52.4 percent to 34.3 percent. Kaminsky, the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, has lived up to the hype in the early going with 18.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg. Nigel Hayes is also an important frontcourt piece with 14.0 ppg and 8.8 rpg, while Sam Dekker brings 12.2 ppg to the table.

The Hoyas played a back-and-forth battle with Florida from the opening tip on Wednesday and they held a lead late in the overtime period before the Gators converted a three-point play with 12 seconds remaining to go ahead by one, but they answered on their next possession when D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera drained the game-winning jumper. The Hoyas shot an impressive 49 percent from the field on the night while holding the Gators to only 35.9 percent shooting, an advantage which helped make up for a game-high 19 turnovers. Smith-Rivera's game-winner capped off a 17-point performance in which he shot 7-of-14 from the field. Paul White and Jabrill Trawick netted 10 points apiece in the triumph and three others scored eight points.

On the season, Georgetown has played very well on both ends of the floor, shooting 50.5 percent from the field for 76.8 ppg while allowing just 63.8 ppg on 35 percent shooting. Joshua Smith leads the way with 15.0 ppg on greater than 68 percent shooting while adding 7.3 rpg. L.J. Peak (13.3 ppg) and Smith- Rivera (11.0 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers.