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It was the greatest shot that almost was.
When Gordon Hayward's halfcourt heave bounced off the backboard, then off the front of the rim, Butler's dream of a national championship was brought to an abrupt halt. Duke's dream, though, became reality.
A senior class that often caught criticism for not living up to the lofty Duke standard finished in a way only three other Mike Krzyzewski teams have—as national champs, after an epic title game.
"We've been fortunate to be in eight of these," Krzyzewski said Monday on the stage after the game, a 61-59 Blue Devils victory. "And this was the best one."
Now, this senior class and this Duke squad will be remembered in a completely different way.
* They are the team that paved the way for another Duke era of dominance. Three senior starters—Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek—are graduating, and junior Kyle Singler could choose to jump to the next level after the 19-point, nine-rebound performance that earned him the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award. But Duke, as always, has another stellar recruiting class coming in next season, headlined by five-star prospect Kyrie Irving. The Blue Devils hadn't been to the Final Four since 2004—five-year gaps aren't the norm for Duke—and don't expect them to wait so long next time.
* They are the team that proved a pure point guard isn't a necessary component of a national title winner. This from Duke, the home of blueprint point guards Bobby Hurley, Jay Williams, Chris Duhon and Steve Wojciechowski. The Blue Devils' primary guards, Scheyer and Nolan Smith, aren't point guards by trade. So, Krzyzewski adapted. He put the ball in Scheyer's hands but told him just to play his game and not to try to be a point guard by traditional definition.
* They are the team that won a title without a bevy of future NBA stars. Singler's NBA stock shot through the roof in this tournament, and 7-1 Zoubek will land on a roster, as will Scheyer. But there is no Christian Laettner, no Elton Brand, no Danny Ferry. No matter. They're as much—or more—of a team as any in Duke history. They won not because of their talent, along with defense and rebounding—but because of defense and rebounding.
* They are the team that beat who it had to beat. History won't look at brackets, won't remember that the Blue Devils were in what was perceived to be the weakest of the four regions. Remember, No. 1 seed Kansas lost to a No. 9 seed, and No. 1 Syracuse lost to a No. 5 seed. They are, simply, the team that won the national title. It's never easy, regardless of the perceived path.
For Butler, history will remember this as the year it permanently arrived on the national stage. Don't be surprised to see another Final Four trip next season—the Bulldogs start sophomores Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored and junior Matt Howard—and maybe a couple more in the near future. Capturing the imagination of an entire country also should help recruiting.
"I think it's going to help the program greatly," Bulldogs senior forward Avery Jukes said. "Helps recruits. Lets people know that Butler's not an underdog, that we have a great program, that we can have a chance to be good every year."
http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2010-04-06/duke-king-blue-devils-outlast-butler-for-programs-fourth-natio
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