You thought it was going in, didn't you? I did. I thought when Butler's Gordon Hayward rushed up the right sideline with the ball, and teammate Matt Howard completely leveled Duke's Kyle Singler with a crushing blind-side screen, which left Hayward suddenly clear at midcourt and he went off his left foot yet still balanced and extended his right arm for a shot in textbook fashion to send a prayer through the air and toward the hoop... I thought it was in.
As soon as it left his hand I just saw it like it was in slow motion and I thought to myself "it's gonna go in, in a tournament like this one it just has to go in 'cause it would be the storybook ending". It was gonna be the basketball world's revenge on Duke and Christian Laettner for stealing the title 18 years ago at the buzzer. It was gonna be "Hoosiers 2: The Butler Bulldogs". I thought that shot was going in for every small school out there that never had a chance to get to the national championship. I thought it was going to be the greatest game-winning shot in basketball history to climax the greatest NCAA Tourney in history.
As the ball descended with marvelous accuracy, it looked like it was going to go glass-net-floor. And then it missed. Off the Glass-off the rim-to the floor. No soft, fairy-tale landing in the nylon for the hometown Hoosiers, instead it was a dose of cold reality, Duke wins 61-59. Most of the 70,000 fans on Butler's side let out an "Ohhhhhh," and the Duke players piled onto forward Kyle Singler at center court. What a way to end the season, even if America's favorite underdog came up a little short. Duke fans like myself let out a collective sigh of relief and sat back for minute to comprehend that Hayward actually missed, before going crazy.
Kyle Singler scored 19 points and Brian Zoubek rebounded Hayward's miss with 3.6 seconds left (the first of two chances Butler had to win it) to end Butlers bid for a real-life "Hoosiers" sequel. The "Big Three" (Singler, Jon Scheyer (15 points) and Nolan Smith (13 points)) won the Big One for coach Mike Krzyzewski, his first championship since 2001 and fourth overall, tying Coach K with Kentucky legend Adolph Rupp for second place on the all-time list.
Butler (33-5) shaved a five-point deficit to one and had a chance to win it, when its best player, Hayward, took the ball at the top of the key, spun and worked his way to the baseline, but was forced to put up an off-balance fadeaway from 15 feet. He missed, Zoubek got the rebound and made the first of two free throws. He missed the second one intentionally, and Duke's title wasn't secure until Hayward's desperation heave at the end bounced out.
It was a fitting game to end one of the most memorable tournaments in history, filled with close games, upsets and underdogs; the kind of tournament that some (like me) fear could be history if the NCAA goes ahead with an expansion to 96 teams, something that is very much on the table for next year.
It was the closest margin of victory in a title game since Michigan defeated Seton Hall 80-79 in 1989 and only the 11th title game in history to be decided by 2 points or fewer. Playing against the Bulldogs and working against a crowd of 70,930 with very few pockets of Duke fans, the Blue Devils persevered although never leading by more than six but also never falling behind after Singler hit a 3-pointer with 13:03 left for a 47-43 lead.
The Blue Devils won with defense. They held the Bulldogs to 34 percent shooting and contested every possession as tenaciously as Butler, which allowed 60 points for the first time since February. Zoubek, the 7-foot-1 center, finished with two blocks, 10 rebounds and too many altered shots to count. He also came out to trap the Butler guards and disrupt an offense that was already struggling.They won with some clutch shooting, including Singler's 3-for-6 effort from 3-point range, and went 6 of 6 from the free throw line in the second half until Zoubek's intentional miss. Constantly called soft, they won with a mean streak, most evident when Lance Thomas took down Hayward hard to prevent an easy layup with 5:07 left. The refs reviewed the play and decided not to call it flagrant (one of a hundred moments in the game that could have swung the momentum).
A disappointing ending for those who wanted to see the "Hoosiers" sequel play out in real life. Butler, though, may have proven its point nonetheless. Teams with mega-money from power conferences aren't the only ones that win in college sports, especially when it comes to basketball. Nothing proves that better than the NCAA tournament. March Madness is a great event that stayed great into April this year.
It has never been better for Duke, which won a different way this season. There were no superstars on this team, just a bunch of solid players who may end up in the NBA not with lottery-pick money in their pockets (exept for maybe Singler), but with the label of being a national champion forever. That's always the goal in Coach K's program, and the fact that the Blue Devils hadn't been to the Final Four since 2004 didn't go unnoticed down on Tobacco Road, especially while North Carolina won two championships over that span. But while last year's champions, the Tar Heels, rebuild, Duke is the standard for next season.
Everyone thought the perfect ending would be for Butler to win in its hometown, but the Blue Devils also have history in Indianapolis. It's the place where they won their first championship, with Christian Laettner and Grant Hill at the helm, back in 1991. It's also the city where Nolan Smith's late father, Derek Smith, led Louisville to a championship in 1980. Some might call that a Hollywood ending, too.
Peace and Much Love to Ya :)
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