Wisconsin looking to complete redemption story against Duke

Wisconsin is trying to write a redemption story.

After upsetting Kentucky, thought to be the best team in college basketball, and avenging a one-point loss in last year's Final Four, the Badgers are looking to flip the script on Duke in Monday's national championship game.

Rewind to December, when Duke and Wisconsin squared off. Duke came away victorious, 80-70, after holding the lead for the entire game save for 10 seconds. 

Bo Ryan watched Duke shoot 65 percent from the field and there was nothing his team could do about Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Rasheed Sulaimon scoring in double figures. 

Sam Dekker hobbled his way to five points and four boards in 24 minutes, while Josh Gasser scored seven points and Nigel Hayes punched in four. Overall, the Badgers shot a lackluster 40 percent. 

At the time, few could have predicted that the two teams were destined for a rematch with college basketball's biggest prize on the line.

The two teams, however, will look vastly different this time around. For starters, Sulaimon, who scored 14 points for Duke in December's meeting, is no longer even on the roster.  

Justise Winslow has emerged as Duke's most destructive player, while Gasser has blossomed into a leader for Wisconsin. 

And Traevon Jackson, not Frank Kaminsky, carried the Badgers to the tune of 25 points against Duke, but he missed 19 games due to injury.

Dekker and Kaminsky will be the X-factors for Wisconsin come Monday, two players who can change the course of a game whenever they see fit. 

Duke needs to be aware that it's not facing the same team it trounced in December. Wisconsin is finally getting the credit is deserves for making it this far, toppling Kentucky and earning a shot at redemption.