Butler's historic run falls just short, but credit Duke — the Blue Devils earned it

ON BASKETBALL

The shot hung in the air, decended and kissed off the backboard, then softly hit the rim ... before bouncing harmlessly away. A little bit better of a carom, and it might have fallen. It might have created the greatest moment in the history of college basketball. It might have captivated 97 percent of college hoops fans in this country.

But, alas, Gordon Hayward's heave from just inside halfcourt was slightly off the mark. After his fade-away jumper over Brian Zoubek was just long seconds earlier. And Duke won the national title, 61-59, in Butler-dominated Indianapolis Monday night, surging back to the top of the college basketball world for the first time since 2001 after a game that a shocked Mike Krzyzewski — "I still can't believe we won," he said — called a "classic" and the toughest of his eight national-title game clashes.

The potential story was irisistable. Butler, the small school from the Horizon League, beating Duke, Krzyzewski, his three national titles and handful of All-Americans. But, hey, it didn't happen — and the result should not take anything away from a Duke team that, it could be argued, was just as overlooked as a national-title contender as the Bulldogs for most of the season.

"As good as the Butler story is and will be, their story is pretty good too," Krzyzewski said afterward about his team.

And he's right. This win, this season, was never about Coach K going for his fourth national title. Rather, it was about a group of players who struggled through three years in which they improved but ultimately were judged, perhaps unfairly, against the Duke pedigree. Blue Devils seniors Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Zoubek didn't win an NCAA Tournament game their freshman season, won just one two years ago and were rudely dismissed by Villanova in the Sweet 16 a year ago.

Throughout this season, even as the wins piled up, Krzyzewski refrained from calling his team great. First they were good. Then really good. But not great. It took until late Monday night, after all the confetting had fallen, for Krzyzewski to finally huddle his exuberant players together and tell them twice: "You are a great team. You are a great team."

And great they were. You can talk about the Devils getting an "easy" NCAA Tournament draw and a few lucky bounces along the way. But the bottom line, all that matters, is that winning six consecutive games is never, ever easy. Duke earned this title as much as any championship team, and got the absolute most out of every player's ability.

"It means the world to us, especially our senior class," Thomas said. "To leave champions, we maxed out our season, maxed out our practices, played every game the season had to offer us."

The last one won't be forgotten for a long time. This was one of those games that clarifies for all of us what great competition is all about. There weren't any highlight dunks. No SportsCenter Top 10 nominees. No, this was all about stellar defense on both ends; about gritty pileups for loose balls; about both teams earning every point, every free throw.

Appropriately, no two teams better exemplified during this season the ability to win without shooting the ball well than Duke and Butler. Heck, the Bulldogs somehow beat Michigan State in the semifinals despite shooting 15-for-49. They weren't much better Monday, making just 20 of 58 shots (34.5 percent) including a putrid 12-of-50 performance by their starting five.

Yet they remained in the game, never allowing Duke's lead to eclipse five points in the second half. They got stops against the bigger, stronger Devils, and after two Matt Howard layups, were within a point, at 60-59, in the final minute.

But Hayward's baseline jumper over the towering Zoubek clanked off the back of the rim. And after Zoubek made a free throw and then missed the second intentionally with 3.6 seconds remaining, and after Hayward took the perfect amount of dribbles and benefitted from a knee-buckling screen Howard set on Kyle Singler (maybe legal, maybe not), his final heave was barely off the mark. Oh, so close.

"I thought Gordon’s shot had a chance," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "Anytime you have a player of Gordon's caliber and he’s got the ball in his hands and lets it fly, you feel like you have a chance to win."

And, really, what more could the Bulldogs have asked for, but a chance to win a national title in the final seconds? Well, how about winning that championship?

Don't get this team pinned wrong. It had every intention of coming out on top Monday night, of providing college basketball fans with perhaps the greatest story in the history of the modern era of the sport.

"For me, it’s going to be the loss (I remember)," a devastated Hayward said. "I hate losing. … It’s great for us to be here, but that’s not what we wanted to do. We wanted to win."

Said Stevens, after his three players had been dismissed from the postgame press conference: "You could see listening to our three guys, they’re crushed. This mattered. They wanted to win. It’s really hard for them to come straight in here and answer questions."

And as Stevens admitted, it will take awhile for the Bulldogs to get over this disappointment, to be able to put a season that included a 25-game winning streak in perspective. As for the winners, they felt for the Bulldogs afterward.

"It was the toughest game we’ve played in all year," Scheyer said. "It’s hard that one of those teams had to feel that way."

But as we all know, every great game, every instant classic, must have a loser — sometimes more lovable than others. On this occasion, most of a nation mourned for a Bulldogs squad that kept proving people wrong, kept surprising opponents when the pundits thought they had finally met their match.

It's OK, though, to mourn for one team and feel elated for another. And that's the best way to view this classic. Be happy for Zoubek, the big, bruising Duke center who overcame two summers spent on crutches — "It was really hard to imagine being in this position (then)," he said Monday night — to become, as Coach K said, the key player who elevated his game down the stretch of the season and had 11 big rebounds Monday.

Be happy for Nolan Smith, who played the game of his life against Baylor in the Elite 8 on the road to winning a national title in the same city as his late father, Derek Smith, who did it for Louisville in 1980. Be happy for Scheyer and Thomas, Duke's other seniors who withstood three subpar seasons — at least by Duke standards — to return the program to the top.

And simply be happy that you witnessed a game — not to mention a tournament — that won't be forgotten for a long time.

"I think it'll become a historic game," Krzyzewski said. "It's the best one I've been involved in of the eight (national title games he's coached in).

Final Four preview: Blue Devils to take down Spartans in final

ON BASKETBALL

So we've come to this. The most unexpected, unpredictable and, yes, exciting Final Four in a long time. Seriously. Who knows what will happen? No one's been able to predict the tournament to this point, so why would that change now?

I, for one, have close to no idea who will come out on top in the games tonight. But if I were playing the "You have to choose, otherwise you'll lose a finger in horror-movie excruciating style," game, here are my picks. Just don't actually bet on them.

MICHIGAN STATE 66, BUTLER 62

So I wanted to use as evidence for this pick the fact that the Spartans have won four close games in the tournament, four nailbiters. But then I realized that, well, Butler has won three such contests. So that doesn't really fly. So I had to become even more myopic: The Spartans have won two games that came down to the final possession. The Bulldogs only have one such victory. 

The fact is, the Spartans are the more talented team (barely) even sans Kalin Lucas and have learned how to win the nitty gritty games during this Dance. They're also the most physical team left alive, and I think that'll bother the Bulldogs who haven't faced such a foe. Finally, there's the Tom Izzo factor: This is his sixth Final Four in 12 years. Brad Stevens is making his first. Stevens is a great, deserving coach, but the advantage in coaching experience can't be overlooked.

DUKE 68, WEST VIRGINIA 65

This is a rematch of a second-round game I covered two years ago in which the Mountaineers absolutely manhandled the Blue Devils on the boards. After the 73-67 loss, Duke's Kyle Singler, then a freshman, said: "They're not a big team, but they're a physical team and they're able to get into us and push us underneath our basket. And they're able to grab a lot of offensive rebounds." Well, that quote could now apply to these Blue Devils, who have dominated teams in the rebounding category and have been lauded for their physical play, which was lacking the past three years.

The Mountaineers return many of the players from that team and promise to be just as physical as the Blue Devils. They are, after all, just as strong of a rebounding team. But 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting will be the difference down the stretch. If WVU chooses to go to the 1-3-1 zone that flustered Kentucky last week, Duke will kill it with offensive rebounds that lead to 3s (as was the case in the waning minutes against Baylor). If the Mountaineers play man, the Devils will find ways to get to the FT stripe late and make them. WVU, on the other hand, looked tenuous at the line down the stretch against the Wildcats. I'll be another barn-burner, but the Devils will persevere at the end.

CHAMPIONSHIP: DUKE 70, MICHIGAN STATE 65

And so for the second consecutive year, it'll be ACC against Michigan State representing the Big Ten. And also for the second straight year, the ACC will deny the Spartans a title. This game will be much, much closer than the blowout that was predictable in the first 3 minutes a year ago, but the Devils' upperclassmen will have an upper hand against this crew from the Spartans that has overachieved in the tournament sans its star.

The big matchup will be Duke's Nolan Smith guarding MSU point guard Korie Lucious. He'll be on him like white on rice. Smith has been an underrated defender all season, and he won't allow Lucious the penetration he's been able to use to create open outside jumpers and easy buckets down low for his teammates. It won't be pretty on the other end, but I expect the Devils to take advantage of the Spartans' pursuing defense with some back cuts for easy scores — and that'll be the difference. 

Of course, I shouldn't even be making a championship-game prediction, considering my Final Four picks have a great chance of being wrong. Silly me. Whatever happens, this Final Four, I'm positive, will live up to the hype that's surrounded this entire tournament of buzzer-beaters, last-second defensive stands, bench-clearing celebrations and tears wept on the hardwood.

It's pure madness, folks. Just how March (and April) should always be.

NCAA Tournament Preview: Picking the Jayhawks

ON BASKETBALL

I don't know if I've ever agonized more over a bracket. Because here's the thing -- I know there are going to be plenty of upsets. But where they'll happen? I got nothin'. So what is my scared, basketball-obsessed brain doing?

Yep, going with the favorites. As in all four No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four. This year, more than most, that simply won't happen. No way. But I can't know for sure which one, or two, or even three, won't get to Indianapolis. So I'm going with all of them.

And with that, my tournament picks:

MIDWEST

First round

1 Kansas def. 16 Lehigh: Love the Patriot League. In fact, I went to more than half of American's games this season. And I'm happy the AU Eagles don't have to face KU.

9 Northern Iowa def. 8 UNLV: Gotta love the experienced Missouri Valley team.

5 Michigan State def. 12 New Mexico State: Here's to thinking the good MSU shows up.

4 Maryland def. 13 Houston: Here's to thinking the good Maryland shows up.

11 San Diego State def. 6 Tennessee: He doesn't have a Fab Five, but Steve Fisher's forming a decent program in a beautiful city. Nice bounceback from the Michigan debacle.

3 Georgetown def. 14 Ohio: My high school classmate played for Ohio. Besides that, don't know much about the Bobcats ... except that they won't beat G'Town.

10 Georgia Tech def. 7 Oklahoma State: The Yellow Jackets are good when they're not throwing the ball out of bounds.

2 Ohio State def. 15 UC Santa Barbara: Let's see ... would I rather spend a March weekend in Milwaukee or Santa Barbara? Yep, the Gauchos won't mind heading home early.

Second round

1 Kansas def. 9 Northern Iowa: This will be a carbon copy of the Jayhawks' survival against Cornell. Fall down early, make big plays late.

5 Michigan State def. 4 Maryland: Ohh, this will be a fun one to watch. Izzo yelling. Gary sweating. And the more talented Spartans winning.

3 Georgetown def. 11 San Diego State: Georgetown is usually either really good or really mediocre. Thinkin' the really good outfit will show up for this one.

2 Ohio State def. 10 Georgia Tech: The Jackets' big men will create some problems for the Buckeyes, who will make up for the disadvantage with superior outside shooting. Threes beat twos.

Regional semifinals

1 Kansas def. 5 Michigan State: In a rematch of last year's regional semifinal, this time it will be Sherron Collins outdeuling Kalin Lucas in the final minute (and stealing his girlfriend in the process).

2 Ohio State def. 3 Georgetown: Game of the tournament so far, but who's got the best player in the country? (Answer: If you don't know this answer, you're either an illusioned Hoyas fan or you're not reading this column.)

Regional final

1 Kansas def. 2 Ohio State: The whole 3s beating twos thing works well ... unless you're making about eight 3s compared to 30 twos for them. Yep, Kansas will absolutely pound the Buckeyes down low with Cole "I'm missing a prominent tooth" Aldrich.

WEST

First round

1 Syracuse def. 16 Vermont: It's tempting to pick the Catamounts in a repeat of the 14-3 upset a few years back. Something tells me, though, that wouldn't be wise.

8 Gonzaga def. 9 Florida State: The 'Zags play pretty, the 'Noles play ugly. I like pretty over ugly.

12 UTEP def. 5 Butler: The Derrick "I'm gaining" Caracter tour continues.

13 Murray State def. 4 Vanderbilt: If I wasn't trying to provide somewhat knowledgeable picks, I'd have the Racers as my national champs. They'll, um, at least race by the slow-footed 'Dores.

6 Xavier def. 11 Minnesota: A very uninspiring 6-11 matchup, which leads me to go with the team that actually deserves to be in the tournament.

3 Pittsburgh def. 14 Oakland: Very tempted to go with the Grizz, but then I read that they lost their games against big-conference teams by, like, 87 points per game. Influential stat.

7 BYU def. 10 Florida: The Cougars always lose in the first round, but not with my man Jimmer Fredette!

2 Kansas State def. 15 North Texas: It's only appropriate that the Mean Green take on Frank Martin's club, because he often looks mean -- and, almost, green -- on the sideline.

Second round

1 Syracuse def. 8 Gonzaga: In a repeat of last year's Ty Lawson and the Big Toe scene in Greensboro, Arinze Onuaku's quad will be examined and talked about as much as any quad in the history of quads. Then he'll play, and the 'Cuse will win.

12 UTEP def. 13 Murray State: At halftime, CBS will do a feature on Derrick Caracter's newfound character on the court.

6 Xavier def. 3 Pittsburgh: In a rematch of last year's Sweet 16 game, the Musketeers get their revenge!

2 Kansas State def. 7 BYU: Kansas State will be angrier and hungrier for this victory. BYU was happy to plow through that first-round roadblock.

Regional semifinals

1 Syracuse def. 12 UTEP: Character's great run ends, but not before he offers a genuine handshake-back-slap to Wes Johnson in the postgame line.

2 Kansas State def. 6 Xavier: Wildcats have way too much talent for the Musketeers, who realize they've reached expectations and don't want to make Frank mad.

Regional final

1 Syracuse def. 2 Kansas State: The more I think about it, the less I like this pick. Which means I'll probably be wrong. But "whatev," as the kids say these days. Syracuse has got talent, has got the senior white guy who can shoot, has got two bangers, has got a HOF coach...

EAST

First round

1 Kentucky def. 16 East Tennessee State: I've heard a lot about ETSU's run-and-gun style, which almost took down Pitt a year ago. And the Wildcats let teams hang in games... Um, no.

8 Texas def. 9 Wake Forest: In the ultimate "The season doesn't end at the end of January, guys!" game, the Longhorns wake up first.

12 Cornell def. 5 Temple: In the ultimate "I love both teams and I hate the Selection Committee" game, I pick the upset for the sake of, well, picking the upset.

6 Marquette def. 11 Washington: Can the Pac-10 win a tournament game? See the South.

3 New Mexico def. 14 Montana: As a basketball nut, I feel very low for not having seen a minute of NM hoops this year. I've heard it's pretty good, although I haven't seen Montana either...

7 Clemson def. 10 Missouri: Andy Katz tried to hype this game up, but I can't. Neither team has interested me since Clemson got run at home by Duke and Mizzou got dominated in its house by KU.

2 West Virginia def. 15 Morgan State: I've heard a lot about Todd Bozeman's squad possibly giving Huggy Bear's fits. And I full expect it to happen. But then there's the Da'Sean Butler Factor.

Second round

1 Kentucky def. 8 Texas: As the experts have said, Texas is fully capable of beating Kentucky. And I'm fully capable of riding my bike down the entire West Coast. But will I do it again? Nope.

12 Cornell def. 4 Wisconsin: C'mon! What fun would it be to take the No. 4 seed here. Seriously. They're almost mirror images of each other. No more than 109 points will be scored.

6 Marquette def. 3 New Mexico: I love the "gritty" Golden Eagles and Buzz "I'm gonna go all crazy by the bench but I'll never look intimidating" Williams.

2 West Virginia def. 7 Clemson: In an ugly, ugly game, the Mountaineers will commit slightly fewer turnovers and shoot better (38 percent) to move on.

Regional semifinals

1 Kentucky def. 12 Cornell: Sorry, Big Red, but no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to guard DeMarcus Cousins or John Wall. Then again, Cousins could throw a hissy fit and cost his team the game. Maybe the Big Red should trash talk him, try to get him pissed...

2 West Virginia def. 6 Marquette: Hey, it's a Big East matchup. And, hey, WVU won its only matchup against the Golden Eagles. That's enough for me!

Regional final

1 Kentucky def. 2 West Virginia: This is one of those matchups where I really, really want to take WVU. But bottom line: The Mountaineers aren't a good shooting team and won't get many second chances against the Wildcats. And Butler has already reached his quota of six game-winning shots.

SOUTH

First round

1 Duke def. 16 Winthrop/Arkansas-Pine Bluff: I feel bad (kind of) picking this before we even know Duke's opponent. Maybe I'll change it after watching the game tonight...

9 Louisville def. 8 California: In the most obvious 8-9 pick, everyone east of the Rockies is taking the Cardinals. Which, obvi, means they'll lose. Oh, well.

5 Texas A&M def. 12 Utah State: I already picked two 5-12 upsets. Can't add another one.

4 Purdue def. 13 Siena: Everyone is picking Siena, and I can't blame them after the Boilers' 11-point, it's-not-high-school-hoops-any-more half Saturday. But something tells me they'll have some life in Spokane.

6 Notre Dame def. 11 Old Dominion: Note to Notre Dame: Don't watch the tape of ODU beating Georgetown in preparation for this one. I was at the game and am still convinced Greg Monroe had food poisoning.

3 Baylor def. 14 Sam Houston State: I sitll haven't gotten over the fact that Ekpe Udoh left Michigan and is now a force for the Bears, a real force.

7 Richmond def. 10 St. Mary's: I've only seen about 7 minutes of the Spiders this season, but word is they have the experienced backcourt recipe for March success.

2 Villanova def. 15 Robert Morris: Speaking of an experienced backcourt, seen Scottie Reynolds lately?

Second round

1 Duke def. 9 Louisville: Remember -- Cal will likely be in this game. But just in case it's Louisville, everyone is talking about a 9-1 upset. Well, it's possible. But if I'm betting my bike on this one -- and I really value my bike -- I'm taking Duke and its experience and rebounding.

4 Purdue def. 5 Texas A&M: Oh, what the stink. Nobody has Purdue going this far. But A&M is no better than the Boilers sans Robbie Hummel. An experienced backcourt will pull this one out.

3 Baylor def. 6 Notre Dame: Udoh will block Harangody three times, and the Bears will advance to Houston...

2 Villanova def. 7 Richmond: In the battle of experienced backcourts, I'll give the edge to the one that hit a game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds left a year ago to go to the Final Four. Watch the video and you'll see a blurry guy three rows above the Villanova bench. That was me during my glorious reporting days.

Regional semifinals

1 Duke def. 4 Purdue: This is where the suddenly overachieving Boilers meet their match. The Blue Devils' Big three of Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler will be too much for Hummel-less (I enjoyed typing that) Purdue.

3 Baylor def. 2 Villanova: In Houston, the Bears will play off the home crowd and Udoh will bother Reynolds n' company every time they penetrate the lane.

Regional final

1 Duke def. 3 Baylor: I'm pretty sure 74 percent of the world is picking the Bears in Houston. They're the sexy pick, the I-hate-Duke pick, and very possibly the right pick. But I'm gonna go against the current and say the Blue Devils knock down enough outside shots and win the rebounding battle to rediscover that thing called the Final Four.

FINAL FOUR

1 Kansas def. 1 Syracuse: In a rematch of the 2003 championship game, this time it's Marcus Morris blocking Andy Rautins' 3-pointer to seal the victory. But let's get serious -- the Jayhawks have all the tools to win this game, including the high-low option to pick apart the 2-3.

1 Duke def. 1 Kentucky: Again going against the current. Everyone loves John Wall -- just checked his Facebook page, and he has 153,532 fans. Nolan Smith, meanwhile, has just 324 FB friends (even I have more!). But Smith will play good defense on Wall, who'll shoot miserably and struggle to run the offense against Duke's pressure D. And Smith will gain 1,955 FB friends immediately after the game.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

1 Kansas def. 1 Duke 75-67: This is where I switch directions and go with the current. Look, as Jay Bilas would say, the Jayhawks are the best team in the land. They've proved that throughout the season. They've got about 487 first-round prospects. And Bill Self has already won a title. Duke will stay close for a while. But in the end, the Jayhawks will wear down the Blue Devils and win their second title in three seasons.

Enjoy the madness, everyone. This might be our last perfect, non-ridiculous-and-idiotic-96-team-field March.