Furious Matchup of the Night: Frank Kaminsky vs. Jahlil Okafor

All year long, the battle to be national player of the year boiled down to two student athletes: Wisconsin senior forward Frank Kaminsky and Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor.

Fittingly, the two players that decided the nation's highest individual honor will also go a long way in determining which of their respective programs will leave Indianapolis as national champions.

While the two players may appear to be opposites in so many ways, there is one big similarity that they share: They're both part of a dying breed.

For Kaminsky, he's a player who chose to see his collegiate eligibility through to the end. He bypassed opportunities to enter the NBA draft and join the pro ranks as a second-round, or even late first-round selection, instead opting to return to school, develop his skills and attempt to finish what he started.

Kaminsky's game is light years ahead of where it was when he arrived in Madison as a freshman. Now projected as a fringe lottery pick at the next level, Kaminsky has his Badgers on the brink of their first NCAA tournament title since 1941.

While Okafor may seem to fit the cookie-cutter mold of the college one-and-done freshman - a lock for a top-3 draft selection - the Chicago native has accepted his role on the court in a time where bigs have tried to expand their position.

Okafor is a true center who lives and excels on the block. A true student of the game, Okafor spends countless hours watching tape of legends of the game, honing his craft in an effort to make himself - and by extension, his team - better.

Interestingly enough, Monday's title game will be just the 14th national championship game between teams that faced off earlier in the year.

Duke was victorious in that first meeting, claiming an 80-70 decision in Madison. The game came way back on Dec. 3, when Okafor was still new to the college game - it was just his eighth collegiate contest.

His final stat line wasn't impressive as he finished with 13 points and six rebounds, though shot an efficient 6-for-8 from the field. Kaminsky had 17 points and nine boards in the loss.

Okafor's grown a lot since then, and he showed that in a dominant performance against Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans went in with the plan to bully Okafor and keep the ball out of his hands. The problem was, when he did get the ball, he torched them. Michigan State was inferior to Duke at every position and it showed.

Kaminsky faced a taller test (literally), going up against Kentucky in his national semifinal matchup. Facing that massive Wildcats front line, Kaminsky showed off a wide range of ways to score the basketball. He'll need all of the tools in his arsenal against a Duke defense that's surrendering just 55 points per game in the NCAA tournament.

Duke and Wisconsin will throw it up at 9:18 p.m. ET on Monday.