Last night’s NCAA National Championship game between Duke and Butler was one of the best championship games i’ve seen in many years. You either love or hate Duke but can’t deny they are well-rounded and successful, and Butler was as close as you often get to having a ‘home town team’. But all that aside, the game was a nail biter from start to finish. With never more than a handful of points, rebounds, or stops separating the two teams, it was a championship battle that lived up to the hype.
However, in every championship game someone has to come out on top, and in this case it was Duke who held on for the 61-59 victory. But their victory was not secured until the final buzzer sounded and Gordon Hayward’s last second shot from half court went off the glass, off the front of the rim, and rimmed out for the near miss. Duke players and fans collectively let out a sigh then cheered the victory.
Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith led the Blue Devil’s briliantly throughout the tournament and once again were the driving force behind the Duke offense in the title game combining for 47 points in the win. Brian Zoubek also had an excellent game anchoring the paint with 8 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks. But it was Duke’s Kyle Singler who finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
Duke’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski with the win joins John Wooden and Adolph Rupp as the only coaches with four or more NCAA championship titles. That is a mind numbing accomplishment given what it takes to even get to the championship game.
“Well, I’ve been fortunate to be in eight national championship games, and this was a classic,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “This was the toughest and best one.”
Butler’s Gordon Hayward had a half-court heave as time expired that hit off the backboard and then rolled off the front rim that would have given Butler the national championship.
“We just came up a bounce short,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said.
If that shot had gone in, well, I don’t think I even need to describe what it would have been like. For now, in my book, it goes down as one of the greatest misses in history. [via]
It was a tough loss for Butler who had an absolutely magical run for a 5 seed and had fans across many states routing for them as the underdog to once again get another surprise win. But the one that mattered most just barely slipped through their fingers.
Well deserved congrats go out to the 2010 National Champion Duke Blue Devils.
