Indianapolis
The Big Dance doesn't just belong to the big dogs any more.
In a down-to-the-wire finish in a tournament defined by upsets, Butler University came within inches of taking home the NCAA championship trophy Monday night against one of the most-revered programs in college basketball.
Duke University's 61-59 victory was much closer than many pundits had predicted, with only a missed shot at the buzzer placing the Blue Devils on the podium instead of the Bulldogs. But more than just an adrenaline-charged close game, Butler's near miss signaled a hint of changes to come in a sport that has long been dominated by the wealthiest programs.
Spurred on by a crowd of 71,000 that roared each time the hometown team took possession of the ball, Butler started off flat but quickly gained momentum, powered by its tenacious defense. The up-and-down game, with 15 lead changes and seven ties, brought fans from both teams to their feet through most of the second half and had sportswriters biting their nails in press row.
As the final seconds ticked down, it proved to be Duke's night, giving a fourth national title to its head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, who afterward called this game "the toughest and the best" of his eight national championship appearances. "The game was so good that anybody could have won."
After the game, Butler's head coach, Brad Stevens, said he was at peace with the result on the scoreboard. But, he added, the close finish was a reminder that there are strong basketball teams outside the six major conferences.
"We caught lightning in a bottle and ran with it the last 25 games," Mr. Stevens told reporters. As for his players, he said, "They're crushed. This matters. They didn't come in here just thinking they were going to roll over and not have a chance."
The 33-year-old coach, known for his unflappable and studious air, had already made sense of the electric game just minutes after it had ended. "The thing that should be known about this game," he said, "is anything can happen in a basketball game."
If the rest of college sports didn't know that already, it does now.
Comments
1. 11159995 - April 06, 2010 at 11:20 am
Another notable point, from one of the TV commentators: though both of these schools graduate their players at 90%+ rates and are known for academic excellence, the two Academic All-Americans on the court last night were not Duke's players but Butler's. So, you get get to the Final Four with brains as well as brawn! That should also be an inspiration to others. Note how far Cornell got in this tournament, too.---Sandy Thatcher
2. 11232247 - April 06, 2010 at 03:19 pm
Completely agree with Sandy Thatcher's #1 post.
But it surely does not hurt to have "the babyfaced assassin" in the guise of 6'9" Sophomore Gordon Heyward on your team. My only question now is, when does the movie come out.
3. timmassie - April 06, 2010 at 09:14 pm
Another CBS announcer comment: the Butler players who had classes the day of the NCAA Final attended them before leaving for the game. Big programs with low graduation rates take note: student-athlete is not an oxymoron, and notice which part of that title comes first.
4. gsanford - April 06, 2010 at 11:50 pm
On the radio broadcast, John Thompson, the former coach at Georgetown and Basketball Hall of Fame member, commented that it was a mistake for the Butler players to have attended class on the day of such a big game. Clearly many of us don't understand the relative importance of the "student" and "athlete" components of college athletics the same way big time coaches do.
5. jhank - April 17, 2010 at 02:39 am
I also heard the comment by John Thompson and was initially surprised to hear someone say that, but then I remembered that he coached for a Big East school where athletics may sometimes be stressed more than academics.
A point Libby Sander made that is worth discussing is whether Butler's run in the tournament will help the so-called mid-major schools and their recognition nationwide (which is essential for them to compete, unfortunately).
I hope it does lead to more recognition. It is the unbalanced national coverage of the mid-major schools which causes the unlevel playing field in basketball. Unfortunately, networks such as ESPN have contracts with the "BCS"-schools' conferences so they have a financial incentive to forward the current narrative: That schools who also have a big football program are inherently better at basketball than schools that don't have a football program. Those teams are just cute "Cinderella-stories," nothing to pay too close of attention to.