Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan claims he didn't know he'd be facing Duke

In the moments after his team pulled off an upset over previously undefeated Kentucky on Saturday night at the Final Four, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan stopped for his interview with TBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson who asked him about facing Duke on Monday in the national title game.

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Ryan claimed he didn't know until that moment whom the Badgers would be facing even though Duke had dispatched Michigan State in the other semifinal three hours earlier in the same building. Wisconsin took the court to warmup while Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski and senior Quin Cook were still being interviewed by Wolfson.

"I purposely didn't watch the first game until later tonight," Ryan said. "You're the first one to tell me that Duke won. So I did not know. I always never let anybody tell me."

If Ryan truly didn't know who his team would be playing, it speaks to how focused he was going into the meeting with Kentucky. And that focus obviously paid off with a historic victory that won't soon be forgotten in Wisconsin or the rest of the nation regardless of what happens Monday.

Ryan went on to point out that Duke handled Wisconsin in an earlier meeting this season 80-70 on the Badgers' home court.

"I think it should be a pretty good game Monday night," Ryan said.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo