It’s a game we’ll talk about until we’re done talking about basketball. We’ll remember the sustained drama, as 70,930 fans shared the same tension-drenched air for more than two exhausting hours. We’ll marvel at the fact that the largest lead of the night was six points. And that it was a one-possession game for 31 of the 40 minutes. And that both teams attacked each other with a beautiful savagery.
“It was the toughest game we played all year,” Duke’s Jon Scheyer said. “I can’t imagine what those guys are feeling like. They gave everything they had, just like we did.”
We’ll talk about a different Duke team than Krzyzewski’s three other champions at Duke — less glamorous, more gritty. This team Krzyzewski never once called great all year — until the postgame locker room, when they had the championship nets to prove it.
But even more than the winners, we’ll talk about the losers. Because it was Butler that elevated this story to something unique, something special. It was Butler that lived up to a moment far beyond the reach of most schools of its ilk — a 4,200-student university right here in Indianapolis, with scant tradition, a modest budget and mid-major conference affiliation.
Students who play basketball at both schools, not basketball players who pretend to be students at NBA Farm team “schools”. I’m sorry Butler lost, but this proves you can get to the final four without being a state supported sports mill. Butler has 4200 students and Duke has 9200, but that includes the Divinity, medical and graduate schools at Duke. The good news–Butler has one senior on the whole team. We’ll be back!
Elves — can I ask why my posts are being held for “review” before they appear?? I’ve sent two private emails to the elf email address, with no response. Also, I don’t seem to have an email box anymore? Any help would be appreciated.
OK, apologies to Duke fans and the elves. Seems to have cleared up.
As I heard on sport radio this morning, no projected NBA starters or high draft picks on either of these teams, but Duke had 3 seniors and two juniors on the floor. Perhaps a better way to recruit for college coaches may be, as #1 suggests, to recruit, first, students who are otherwise the best athletes you can find, who are as interested in completing their education as in playing in the NBA, and let the “NBA recruits” who spend 1 or 2 years in college go on to the NBA. NBA and NCAA need a rule to require these basketball student athletes to attend college for at least 3 years or otherwise be at least 21 years old before being eligible for the draft.
It’s great to see a championship game that’s truly championship caliber. Two fine teams playing their hearts out, and the outcome in doubt til the end. It doesn’t get much better than this.
But I’m happy for Coach K and this much maligned Duke team that few expected to win it all when the season started, or even the tournament. Great coaching, and lots of character on the part of the athletes do make a big difference. And it was great to see that reflected by both Duke and Butler.
David Handy+
#5–David. At least Duke got a #1 seed. The NCAA selection comittee is a complete joke. Their own internal data showed Butler’s RPI was 8, making them a #2 seed, but the selection committee seeded them #5 anyway. Its all about $$$ to them. The coach’s polls, all year, had Butler ranked far above what the “experts”, money grubbers and sports writers ranked them. The proof is in the pudding. But for a couple of missed shots Butler would have won the whole thing. They certainly didn’t play like a #5! Last night, I told my daughter ,who is a graduate of Butler, to carefully watch the handshake of Mike K and Brad Stevens. There was some level of the passing of the torch, some bit of poetic symmetry there: In 33 years Coach Stevens will be shaking hands with some young guy, after he has been to 16 Final 4’s and won several national titles. It was so much more satisfying than the normal championship game.
My Tar Heel hubby was glad to see Duke win. Alas, as a Hoosier I was not happy that Butler lost. However, the final score indicated how closely matched the teams really were. Great game!!
Grandma and I have attended six Final Fours in the last eleven years and the Butler-Duke games was the best we have seen. The Butler students and fans were a joy to be around.
This all kind of happened once before. In 1979, a relatively small and unknown Indiana team – – Indiana State University – – played Michigan State U. in the final game. MSU had a fantastic team, led by the marvelous Earvin “Magic” Johnson. ISU had a less-well-known team, but also had one guy who could shoot better blindfolded from 25 feet than most guys shoot sighted; his name is Larry Byrd. That was also a game for the ages, and Duke-Butler reminded me of that one.