A Championship for the Ages

The Hollywood script would have had a different ending-- a last second buzzer beater to have the small town school knock off the big boys-- but last night's NCAA championship game wasn't meant to end that way. Instead, Duke won it's fourth national title defeating Butler 61-59 in front of 70,930 fans in Indianapolis.

The game wasn't decided until Butler's Gordan Hayward's last second half-court heave hit off the backboard then rim and rattled to the floor, setting off a Blue Devil celebration all the way to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tobacco Road. It was a game for the ages-- it was David vs. Goliath-- and this time Goliath came out on top.

The game never got out of hand last night, as neither team led by more than six points. Duke was led by their big three as Singler, Scheyer, and Zoubek all played key parts down the stretch.

It was Zoubek who had the monstrous rebound off Hayward's miss with 3.6 seconds left as the Bulldogs had an opportunity down one in their half court to take the lead. Zoubek made his first free throw, and intentionally missed the second when Hayward got the rebound and got a pick at half court from Matt Howard-- almost making what would have been the greatest shot in college basketball history.

And even though Butler lost, they still proved their point. Butler played on behalf of all the other "mid-major" teams out there who don't have a budget like the Duke's of the world, and they showed they belonged in the title game.

It was the typical Butler game-- play tough defense, contest shots, come up with steals, and take advantage of half court opportunities. As head coach Brad Stevens said, Butler was one possession away from winning in a game with 145 possessions.

Butler was America's team last night, and most fans wanted the Cinderella story for Hooisers part II. But people will soon realize the amazing stories that will come from the Duke side as well, that would be just as a good for a Hollywood movie.

Nolan Smith-- son of Louisville great Derek Smith who passed away when his son was only eight-- won a championship in the same town where his father won one back in 1980. In 1991, Christian Laettner led the Blue Devils to their first title in Indy, the same place Duke won last night. And coach Mike Krzyzewski passed his mentor, Bob Knight and tied Adolph Rupp for coaches with at least four national titles.

Last night's game was an instant classic. A game that's final margin was the closet since 1989 when Michigan defeated Seton Hall 80-79 in overtime. And though the scenes were different last night at Cameron Indoor and historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, both schools have much to be proud of.

For Duke, they're back on top of the college basketball scene. And will have bragging rights for a year over their arch enemies of North Carolina-- a team that won two national titles since Duke's last trip to the final four in 2004. This year's Duke team was unlike the ones of '91, '92, and '01. These Blue Devils weren't made up of lottery picks and top NBA talent-- this year's team had gritty players who lived up to and passed their potential to take the crown.

For Butler there is much to be optimistic about. Unlike many of the "mid-majors", Butler returns most of their keys players from this year's squad. Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward are just sophomores, while Matt Howard and Zach Hahn will return next year as seniors. The Bulldogs will be a top five team next year, and they deserve to be. They have a great coach, great talent, and even more determination.

This is what March Madness is supposed to be about. And even though it will be hard to explain to a young fan why the little team didn't upset the big bullies-- there is still honor in how both teams performed, and everyone who watched last night's game should feel lucky they had a chance to see it.