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INDIANAPOLIS -- Here on Easter Sunday, it's abundantly clear that Big Blue Nation should be thankful for West Virginia. Had the Mountaineers not eliminated the Kentucky Wildcats in the finals of the NCAA East Regional, it's now obvious that UK would have suffered an even greater humiliation at the hands of Duke in Saturday night's national semifinals.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils are on what the late Al McGuire used to call an “uptick.” That means they have gathered momentum as the tournament has progressed. They're playing their best basketball of the season now, when it counts the most. Against the Mountaineers in Lucas Oil Stadium, before a crowd of more than 71,000, they were a many splendored-team, a joy for hoops purists to behold.
No longer can opponents view Duke as being “soft” inside. The Blue Devils have a hard core of “bigs,” led by 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek, that could match up quite nicely, thank you, with UK's DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and Patrick Patterson.
As for the perimeter game, well, check the numbers: UK missed its first 20 three-point attempts against West Virginia's 1-3-1 and hit only four of 32 for the game. But thanks mainly to its “S Troop” of Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, the Blue Devils knocked down 13 of 25 treys against the same defense.
The catalyst, the guy who has done the most to turn Duke from a good team into a really good one, is Smith, the 6-2 junior guard and son of Derek Smith, the late University of Louisville star who started as a freshman for the Cards' 1980 NCAA championship team.
Want some omens?
The 1980 Final For also was played here, albeit in the now-gone Market Square Arena. Duke is staying in the downtown Hilton, the same hotel where U of L stayed in '80. If Wiley Brown puts on a Duke shirt and misplaces his artificial thumb before Monday's title game against Butler, we will know for sure that Duke is a team of destiny.
Just about everybody in America will be pulling for Butler, not just those knuckleheads whose favorite team is whoever is playing Duke. Many of those knuckleheads live in Kentucky. They will never forgive Duke's Christian Laettner for making that incredible turn-around jumper to beat UK in overtime in the 1992 East Regional finals.
It's almost as if they feel they were somehow cheated out of a victory that was their birthright. That's incredibly arrogant. Oh, but wait a moment. What's the reason most given for hating Duke? It's because they're too arrogant, right?
Well, I guess arrogance is in the eye of the beholder. I've seen few teams in NCAA play react as arrogantly as U of L did to its victory over Arizona in last year's Sweet Sixteen. And I've rarely seen Duke players mugging for the cameras or inventing dances to celebrate their high opinion of themselves.
Throughout the tournament, Butler has been feasting on the arrogance of all those who just didn't believe a small, private school can hold its own against teams from the elite conferences. But isn't that what Duke began to prove in the early 1960s and is still proving today?
In fact, I can't see a single good reason why Butler can't become the Duke of the next 40 years. Like Duke, it's located in a state where basketball is more important than football. Like Duke, it plays in the shadow of a large state university with a wondrous basketball tradition. Like Duke, it recruits good kids who have high IQs in both basketball and academics.
The key is whether young Brad Stevens will make the same commitment to Butler that Krzyzewski made to Duke. At 33, he's about the same age as Coach K was when he took the Duke job -- after some seriously lobbying by Bob Knight -- in 1980. The main differences between the two are that Stevens has a smaller nose and a name that's easier to type.
At 63, Krzyzeweski is in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career. It's too soon to start speculating about his successor, but filling his shoes will be every bit as hard as it was to replace Adolph Rupp at UK, John Wooden at UCLA, Dean Smith at North Carolina, and Knight at IU.
So why couldn't Butler and Stevens step into the breach and become the gold standard by which college programs are measured? There's no good reason. Butler plays in an ancient gym that's both larger and more historic than Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. It's located in a sports hotbed at the crossroads of America. Surely the Scheyers and Smiths of this -- and future -- recruiting classes will have to add Butler to the mix.
As somebody who picked Butler to make the Final Four BEFORE the tournament's first dribble, I would love to see Gordon Hayward & Co. complete what's already one of the best feel-good stories in college basketball history. But after watching Saturday's semifinals, there's no way I can pick against Duke.
The Blue Devils are bigger, stronger, deeper, and quicker. They are stronger inside and out. They work the offensive boards as well as anybody in the nation and defend in the half-court like a bunch of, well, demons. Everything Butler can do, Duke can do better.
A Butler victory would be an upset the magnitude of North Carolina State shocking Houston in the 1983 championship game or Villanova stunning Georgetown two years later in Rupp Arena. It would be even bigger, in a sense, because both N.C. State and Georgetown came from power conferences, not the obscurity of the Horizon League.
By beating Duke, the Bulldogs would strike a blow for Dayton, Xavier, Miami of Ohio, Cornell, St. Mary's, Northern Iowa, and all the so-called “mid-majors” -- a term I hate, by the way -- that have to make do every season with the players who were overlooked, rejected, or snubbed by the big dogs.
You know the kind of team I'm talking about. They're always well-coached, disciplined, and fundamentally sound. They play hard and are hard to play against. But in game that rewards sheer athleticism unlike any other, they're never quite good enough to beat the big boys.
Speaking of big dogs, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, normally a class act, could have handled himself more graciously in the post-game press conference. He distinctly implied that the referees short-changed his Spartans because they had bought into the Butler story.
“I'm happy for Butler and I'm proud of my team,” said Izzo, “but I'm also ticked off.”
Sorry, coach, but you're off base. I understand how hard it must be to lose after holding your opponent to only 30 per cent shooting from the field and winning the battle of the boards. But the officials did not beat Michigan State. It was a combination of the Spartans not being at full strength -- that's a reason, not an excuse -- and making far too many turnovers.
With the Spartans trailing by two, Draymond Green took it to the hoop thinking he would either make the basket or get fouled. Instead, Hayward went up with him and blocked his shot. There was contact, but no foul. For a change, intelligent defense prevailed over sheer athleticism.
Can Butler pull the miracle?
Well, even if Butler center Matt Howard recovers from the concussion he received against Michigan State and stays out of foul trouble, and even if guard Shelvin Mack gets over the cramps that took him out of the semifinal game, and even if Hayward does his best Larry Bird imitation, the Bulldogs still figure to come up short against a Duke team that has become a monster right before our eyes.
Believe me, UK is lucky it lost before it got to Duke. Outcoached as he was by Bob Huggins, John Calipari would have been no match for Coach K, who has the tools to trump UK at every spot on the floor. Ask yourself this: Would you really take John Wall over Nolan Smith at this very moment?
So say good-bye to Cinderella and Hickory High. Thanks for the memories, Butler, and good luck in becoming the Duke of the next 40 years. But in Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night, the big trophy will go to Duke. Make it Blue Devils 72, Bulldogs 56.
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9003tri
sun apr 04 2010
at 4:50 pm
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just another pick against the Bulldogs. not unlike all the others along the way that had them gone against utep, murry, the cuse, ks, and last but, not least ms.
the line on the game is 6 1/2 in favor of puke. opps, i mean duke. ha,ha,ha. could'nt reisst.
i don't really think duke caan continue to hit 3's the way it did saturday. and, even though Butler won't win the game on the boards. the misses that went saturday will allow for less made shots for duke. and more chances for Butler.
yes, Butler needs Mack in the game, and Howard to stay out of foul trouble.
and, i don't believe a team can shoot as poorly as Butler did the other night two games in a row.
but, the reaason duke had so many 3's is that wv was playing a zone. which by it's nature allows open looks behind the line. where as Butler plays man to man. knows how to run it. and limits movement until wv. and, they do that with out Howard or Mack.
cuse amd ks are both bigger, quicker, and jump higher than Butler. as does ms. all those eams also averaged much higher scores durring the year.
so, just because duke might be bigger. i don't really think it will be that big of a blow out.
if duke wins. it wil be by around 5 or 6.
and, if Butler plays the game it's capable of. they win by 5. |
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buke
sun apr 04 2010
at 5:34 pm
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wtf is the dude smokin that makes him think duke would beat uk?.. i mean maybe if we hit 10% on 3's they prolly would.. but they only have 1 guy that could do anything against uk's d.. singler...and if he's off uk by 40
p.s. zoubek couldn't hold perry stevenson's jock, let alone orton, cuz, or pat..
get a clue billy! |
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Chef Adam
sun apr 04 2010
at 7:19 pm
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The columist is right on every aspect. I dont know if butler will get beat that bad but, in all due respect Uk fans. There is not a team in the country that could beat Duke yesterday. I was there. I saw it. I am a Duke fan but i never realized the precision at which they work and things. Until you are there watching a team like that you take it for granited. Uk would not have any body to gaurd Singler. Nolan Smith is equally as good as Wall or better because he is a much more reliable shooter and plays better defense. Scheyer is smarter and does not turn the ball over like bledsoe. Also can shoot better. Then Duke has 4 big bodies they can throw at a team. The best team is playing for the championship. |
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Elgin Marbles
sun apr 04 2010
at 8:28 pm
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Impossible to say what Duke-UK would have looked like or turned out. If UK had played like they did again WV, yeah, they would have been drilled. If, however, they had played well, the game would have been close, down to the wire. The best games are when both teams play up to their abilities, and the loser can say, "Hey, we played as well as we can, and they beat us. Hat's off to them." The games that bug you are the ones you lose because you aren't playing your best. UK's players couldn't hit the floor with a bucket of nickels against WV. Hey, they lost, what can you say? WV goes on to the semis and gets drilled. You can play 'what if?' but it just is what it is: Duke v Butler. Butler is the team that should be getting all the ink now. Wow! What a great story about college basketball. |
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kendramimosa
sun apr 04 2010
at 8:29 pm
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Wow, it's like Neanderthal Central around here. |
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Devil Man
sun apr 04 2010
at 10:14 pm
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UK had a bad night versus West Virgina. SH*T Happens. But if they played Ten games Kentucky would win 8 out of the ten. Stop hatin on KY. |
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shadowknight
sun apr 04 2010
at 10:41 pm
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actually as a uk fan,I do feel lucky that you finnally have pretty much said what many knew you suck and you have wrote articles that in turn are lining bird cages all over,and you and yours should remember you can not spell DUKE without UK at the HEART,and we uk fan have alot of heart |
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mike_glenn
sun apr 04 2010
at 10:43 pm
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this guy is right, if kentucky made it to duke, duke would have took them to school, and as far as the ncaa championship game, nolan smith isnt leaving without his ring, go blue devils! |
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Phil!
sun apr 04 2010
at 11:04 pm
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i wonder how stupidthis dude will feel if butler beats duke by 16...and with wall cousins patterson and bledsoe all playin their game duke would be like the teams the first two rounds standing and watchin |
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mike_glenn
mon apr 05 2010
at 12:01 am
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like i said, kentucky fans are still upset because duke beat kentucky, and as far as butler beating duke, keep dreaming, lol, whos dancing now? |
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dirty d
mon apr 05 2010
at 1:28 am
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uk fans are not upset over duke beating us that year. dude should of been out of the game for stepping on our player. that game was so long ago. kentucky is basketball.other teams are just upset they dont have fans like uk has them. |
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mike_glenn
mon apr 05 2010
at 7:51 am
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oh duke has just as many fans as kentucky lol ever heard of the camoran crazies? lol hell they even got fans like me right here in kentucky, im truely sorry didnt win against wv, because i wanted so bad to seejohn wall and cousins get taken to school, go big blue ( deviles lol ) |
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Right_in_KY
mon apr 05 2010
at 8:21 am
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"How many pros does Duke have" - asked Kury a few posts prior to this.
This mindset is so rampant among UK fans these days and it's disturbing. I'm a huge UK fan and have been all my life. I can name every year they wont the title - every year they went to the final four and came give you the names of walk-ons from 1978.
But I'm disgusted with UK and Calipari's recruiting and this whole mindset that a COLLEGE team is to be judged by how many NBA superstars on its roster.
I LOVE the Butler story - because it's proof that college athletes - the kind that actually go to class and stay for four years - can reach the mountaintop. As much as it pains me to admit it - Duke proves that year after year as well - and for that they have my respect.
UK under Calipari is on the brink of becoming a laughingstock. Maybe not in terms of wins and losses - but in terms of integrity.
With that said - I agree also that Billy Reed seems to go out of his way to stir up the UK faithful. HOwever after reading some of the comments here from UK fans who want to put their full faith and trust in 18-year-old freshmen from here on out - I'm not so sure the Big Blue Nation doesn't deserve a little humility.
Time right UK's ship - and that means getting back to focusing on COLLEGE basketball! |
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Dante Marshall Sr #327374
mon apr 05 2010
at 9:09 am
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UK fans crack me up. They always get upset when someone is not kissing their u know what.All Billy Reed did was give his opinion and they get all up in arms. He can give his opinion like everyone else that doesen't make it right. I'm not a Duke fan but I agree with the other poster give me 3 and 4 year players anyday. In fact that's what all the final four teams had. Veteran players. Screw the one and dones. UK didn't play a top team all year including Louisville,UNC and UConn because those giant programs were down. As soon as they ran into somebody that offered resistance they panicked. Let's face it they have been piling up wins agains the Ole Miss', Georgia's etc for years. How do you think Uncle Adoolph piled up all those wins? They are basketball school playing schools whose main focus is football. On top of that you have the only coach with whose final fours have been vacated! You get what you deserve. UK is a school that will go to any measure to win, it doesn't matter even if it's a coach who has a history of cheating just win that's all they want. They are desperate to be relevant again! |
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feelthatfire
mon apr 05 2010
at 9:20 am
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kinda creepy to see all these uneducated young and dumb guys telling Billy Reed that they know more about basketball than he does. they probly dont even really know who he is. UK fans are a like a religious cult that goes into hysterics when anyone says something about their precious team. |
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GDAWG
mon apr 05 2010
at 9:41 am
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This argument is stupid...the fact that UK didn't make it to the matchup answers the question...regardless of any excuse that can be mustered...UK is done..thus Duke, Butler and WVU are better teams...only losers try to justify they could win a hypothetical game. Let it go Cat fans...36 million dollars bought you an Elite 8 and an immediate rebuilding job.... |
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dirty d
mon apr 05 2010
at 12:40 pm
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everyone wants to judge uk win they loose. ill bleed blue till the day i die. and billy reed does not know shit when it comes to uk. he never has anything good to say about them win or loose.duke doesnot have fans like UK. i stick by my team win or loose. the beauty of basketball is any given day a team can go down. |
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GDAWG
mon apr 05 2010
at 12:51 pm
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U are right Dirty D...any team can go down but championship teams find ways to win even when they aren't playing well. For some UK fans to use a "bad game" as an excuse is silly. A loss is a loss..regardless of the circumstances. Duke and Butler both have had less than stellar games but they found a way to pull it out. That's what mekes them better teams. If people would think rationally instead of with their emotions they could see that. |
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Lenny Marry
mon apr 05 2010
at 12:54 pm
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I will question that stupid shit everyday... It is a game of matchups, and Duke would not have matched up well with UK, It takes the cats playing at their worst for any team to even have a chance... I have played organized ball my whole life, I know what I am talking about... I will always defend my team, and you none talented haters who know diddly about the game wanna run your mouth, nothing unusual of course...The fact is... The best team wont win the championship this year. It was a great year for basketball b/c many had a chance to win it, and Duke played well at the right time, so did Butler, and MSU as always... I will give credit when credit is do, Go Butler :-) I am good for a debate, come find me |
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GDAWG
mon apr 05 2010
at 1:18 pm
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For someone who "supposedly" played the game you sound silly. Any athlete knows that the best team "on paper" is quite different than the best team on the court or field. The best team is the team left standing holding the trophy...all other teams had a chance to get there but they did not make it for whatever reason...the victor persevered while the others faltered. Now I played D1 collegiate football and not basketball but athletics is athletics... |
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9003tri
mon apr 05 2010
at 4:21 pm
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smiley, you are blinded by your support for uk. duke, like wv would have forced uk to play a half court game. which would have taken them out of their streetball game. and, forced them to actually attempt to run an offense. like they did against wv. then, they would have been left to chuck it from the cheap seats and once again lose.
and, i believe that Butler would have been able to defeat uk just like they did syracuse, kansas state and michigan state. because Butler would not have allowed them to play , play ground ball. and, as tehy showed. when forced to try and run an offense. uk SUCKS. as did the cuse and ks.
the reason msu did better than the other 2 is that they kknew how to run a half court offense.
and, lets face it. the players that calpie paid to play at uk, (not like he has'nt done it before), are not the brightest bulbs in the box.
and, as BUtler has shown again and again. brains over braun is not a bad way to do things. |
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shadowknight
mon apr 05 2010
at 4:32 pm
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with this mike glen guy saying that duke has as many fans as uk will ever have,UofK fans it must be 1 of 2 things going on here either he's intellectually challenged (stupid for you UofL people) or he's a grad from duke.an duke is a acc school you think louisville fans would finally get on board with all the other state of kentucky schools,oh yeah that game which you brought up,pitino flat out got out coached,like he did all year this year except Syracuse 2 games out of how many,and louisville got the ass wiping the deserved at rupp this year! |
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Lenny Marry
tue apr 06 2010
at 12:12 pm
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I am not blind sided by anything jackass. I am not bias either, if only you all actually knew anything about basketball other than what you read and hear, I would then respect you ignorant opinion... I am certain you boys havent even stepped on the floor with real talent... |
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mike_glenn
tue apr 06 2010
at 12:53 pm
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well uk fans, has reallity set in yet? we have new ncaa champs, and did i mention coach k is now tied with adoulf rupp? better luck next year, your gonna need it, ha ha |
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shadowknight
tue apr 06 2010
at 4:42 pm
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barely beat Butler and your talking crap,but luck would have it rumor has it duke may playing U OF L in their first game so maybe you can wash their jock straps for duke since your that close to your coach k ask him when puke will win 2000 games,be recognize as having the most loyal fan base, not to mention raising 1 million dollars for Haiti, |
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mike_glenn
tue apr 06 2010
at 5:47 pm
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lol it doesnt matter who duke plays in there first game next year now does it? i could care less as if they even win or not as long as they have a good year and be back in the final 4 next year, i know weak ass kentucky wont be there, with a whole fresh team, lol now we will see what uk,s coach is made of now wont we lol |
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dirty d
tue apr 06 2010
at 9:50 pm
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its just a freaking game. your not the players or coach. your fighitng over a game. a lot of what ifs. freak what ifs. and every year is a new year for every team. |
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shadowknight
tue apr 06 2010
at 10:03 pm
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man,
to me its just fun duke has a damn good coach and is the best school in acc, its a sport.more important things to get bent out shape,personally i will pull for duke if they play ul |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- The inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, once said that it's a game to be played, not coached. Sadly, however, the game has evolved into something Naismith never could have envisioned. It's dominated by control-freak coaches who do their utmost to wring out the creativity and choreograph every dribble.
The micro-managers are aided and abetted by an army of TV commentators, statistics nerds, and systems analysts. They chart, measure, break down tape, and second-guess to a fare-thee-well. They forget that basketball, at its best, should be a fast-moving ballet of action and reaction, split-second decisions that are more intuitive than considered.
It's easy for a Digger Phelps or a Jay Bilas to sit in a studio, study slow-motion replays, and talk about poor decisions. They forget about the human factor, the incredible speed at which all this happens. The players are not programmed robots, much as the coaching freaks may want them to be. They are involved in the moment, and the moment passes in a blink.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that I'm suffering from severe information overload. I've listened to all the jabbering TV heads and their opinions. I've considered the arguments and counter-arguments, I've gone over the numbers and the comparisons until I can given you the tendencies of Blue, the English bulldog who serves as Butler's mascot. (He has no lateral movement and very little length, but has a deceptively quick first move to the feed bowl.)
Now the time has come to step up and pick the winners of this evening's NCAA tournament semifinals in Lucas Oil Stadium. My heart says Butler and Duke. So does my head. These are not sentimental picks. I think. Who knows?
The truth is, both the games should be listed in Las Vegas as “pick 'em.” There should be no favorites. Whatever happens, it won't be a surprise. All four teams got to the Final Four not because they have the most talent, but because they have the most true grit.
I really think Butler is a better team, on both ends of the floor, than Michigan State. But I have a hard time wrapping my arms around the concept of Butler actually playing for the national championship Monday night.
It's not because I'm prejudiced against small private colleges because I went to Transylvania, for heaven's sake. It's just that schools like Butler are supposed to supposed to say good-bye in the early rounds and make room for the big dogs -- the schools from the BCS power conferences -- to eat.
Butler is a sort of watch-pocket version of Duke. There's no reason, come to think of it, why it can't be the Duke of the next 30 years. Mike Krzyzewski is nearing the end of his Hall-of-Fame run in Durham, but Brad Stevens, only 33, is just beginning his climb to immortality.
It's hard to imagine Stevens staying at Butler when somebody from the Big East or the ACC or the SEC starts waving a $3 million-a-year contract at him. He currently makes $350,000, which -- if we lived in a sane world -- is about as much as any basketball coach deserves to make.
To reach the title game, Butler will have to get by Michigan State, which has become a Final Four regular under Tom “Mr. March” Izzo. The Spartans don't play pretty basketball, but they play tough, hard, blue-collar basketball. You don't have to be an assembly-line worker at Ford or GMC to love Michigan State.
Nevertheless, the Spartans have been on the brink of extinction throughout this tournament and they're finally up against a team that's as hard-working and fundamentally sound as they are. Butler's Gordon Hayward, a 6-foot-9 kid who plays more like Magic Johnson than any of the Spartans, will be the difference as the Bulldogs will win one for the home crowd.
If Butler is a Duke wannabe, West Virginia is a Michigan State frat brother. Like Izzo, Bob Huggins recruits tough kids and always gets them to play hard. There is no quit in a Huggins-coached team. And Da'Shan Butler, who plays the point on the 1-3-1 zone that befuddled Kentucky in the regional finals, may be the most NBA-ready player in the Final Four.
Still, Krzyzewski has put together a team that has the size to kill you on the offensive boards and the outside shooting to rain down threes by the bunches. The catalyst is junior guard Nolan Smith, son of the late Derek Smith, the former U of L star who came to Indianapolis as a callow freshman exactly 30 years ago and helped the Cards to their first NCAA title.
In both his looks and his movements, Nolan reminds me so much of his dad. Aside from his talent, Derek was a warrior who never backed down from anybody. I thought about that when I saw Nolan sticking his mug into an altercation late in the Blue Devils' regional title game.
I look for the Mountaineers to hang with Duke for about 30 minutes, but then begin to let the game get away from them due to the Blue Devils' relentless offense and pressure halfcourt defense.
Make it Duke 68, West Virginia 57. And let's go with Butler 62, Michigan State 59.
The rest of you can now go back to stuffing your heads with facts and opinions. My work here is done. It's time to relax and enjoy a couple of excellent examples of what Jimmy Naismith's game has become.
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rob
sat apr 03 2010
at 4:42 pm
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Possibly the worst final four ever. MSU without their best player, WVU without their point guard, Butler (I'm pulling for them) and... the White Devils. I mean Blue Devils. I'm pulling for, in this order - Butler, Tom Izzo, West Virginia, and then Satan or no one. |
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9003tri
sat apr 03 2010
at 11:03 pm
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rob, how can this be the worst final four ever?? because uk isn't there???? sounds like somone needs some chees to go with that wine. the wosrt any of these teams were ranked before the season was Butler at #11. so, get real.
music. your right. it's supposed to be COLLEGE athletics, and the players are supposed to be STUDENT athletes. but, if you live in kentucky that's not the way it is at your big universities. there used to be a choach nemed Bobby that made sure his players got an education. and, taught them about life in the real world. but, he told the truth about things. and, persisted to stress that education was more important than sports. so, the powers that be did'nt like him.
that's why i like Butler. they are the only school represented in teh final four that does'nt admit players unless they meet teh normal eligibility requirements that every other student has to meet to be admitted. bet uk and ul can't say that. ha,ha,ha. wonder how much cal had to pay for the team he had this year?? ha,ha,ha,ha. |
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EHEH
sat apr 03 2010
at 11:44 pm
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How 'bout Butler and Duke?
:D |
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9003tri
sun apr 04 2010
at 10:43 am
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phen fel, i will be rooting for the BULLDOGS to the end. but, if duke shoots like it did saturday against west virginia. it will be rough for Butler to keep up. duke shot over 50% from behind the 3 pt. line. if Butler can disrupt that. then they can win it.
another point will be how the game is called. if they allow it to be very phyical, meaning they let duke pound on Butler. then height will play a hugh part. but, if they call the game straight. and don't allow dukes big guys to go over teh back and hammer people. then Butler has a chance.
turnovers will play a hugh part. if Butler can creat turn overs teh way they have the entire tuorniment. then they can win. they use that to ocer come the deflect in rebounds against teams like ks and ms.
and finally, if they shoot like they did saturday. Butler will flounder. but, the idea of a team shooting that poorly two games in a row is not realistic.
over all. i'd have to say that duke has the advantage monday. but, i th8ink Butler has teh ability to win the game. and, sometimes, someone believing in themselves can make all the difference in the world. GO BUTLER!!! |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- I would like to be able to tell you that I was an eye-witness to the wild reception the Butler Bulldogs got from 20,000 or so fans when they took the floor for their Final Four shoot-around yesterday in Lucas Oil Stadium.
But, dear reader, I cannot lie: I was in the press working room, trying to figure out why I couldn't access the internet. When my futile attempts reached the level of, oh, UK's three-point shooting against West Virginia, it was finally explained to me that I needed to get a user name and password from NCAA Wifi for the sum of $16.95 per day.
Note to Metromojo accounting department: Expense account coming.
When I finally got all this computer business settled, Butler's shoot-around was over and West Virginia was ready to take the floor. The Mountaineer players were gathered in an aisle leading to the floor while fans looked down on them from risers and took their pictures, mostly with cell-phone cameras.
Suffice it to say that when I covered my first Final Four in 1967, photographers still were using cameras with flash units attached and it was impossible to even dream about a device like the cell phone.
As the old James Brown hit, “I feel good,” was played over the public-address system, the players broke into some dance steps – I'm not sure if it was the John Wall dance – and that closed the generation gap for me, at least a little bit. Nice to know that today's kids can still appreciate “The Godfather of Soul.”
The Final Four has gotten so big that everything has to be a made-for-TV production, so the players waited and watched while a videotape about their run through the Big East tournament and the first rounds of the NCAA was shown. They seemed as enthralled with themselves as the crowd was.
Meanwhile, back in the football-size press area, I ran into the Butler mascot, an English bulldog named “Blue.” He was uncommonly ugly, even for an English bulldog. In fact, my pal Paul Hornung has one named Louie would would be the Brad Pitt of English bulldogs if put next to Blue.
Blue was standing in place, doing what English bulldogs do, which is pant and drool, while a TV cameraman lay on his stomach so he could get eye-to-eye with Blue. Pending unforeseen developments, this is my nomination for most degrading media moment of this Final Four.
The Butler players took a bus from their campus to Lucas Oil Stadium, and it was wall-to-wall people all the way.
“I was wondering how in the world we'd get to Lucas Oil,” said Coach Brad Stevens. “It was neat seeing so many people wearing Butler hats and shirts.”
Butler, of course, is the star of this Final Four, one of the great feel-good stories ever, and the others – Michigan State, West Virginia, even Duke – are only bit players. It would be downright un-American to pull against a small private college from Middle America that has a baby-faced young coach and a cast of players who are as serious about their studies as about their hoops.
Gordon Hayward is the face of Butler basketball. He was hoping to get a tennis scholarship until a sudden growth spurt pushed him to 6-feet-9. He hails from Brownsburg, Ind., and he plays the game as if he learned it in the cradle, which he probably did.
The Bulldogs aren't nearly as athletic as, say, UK or Kansas or any of the other “name” programs that are sitting home this week. But, collectively, they have a basketball IQ that's off the charts. They're a purist's dream come true because they're unselfish, disciplined, and as fundamental as steak-and-potatoes.
And speaking of food, there's a negative aspect to Butler's presence in the Final Four. Teams from out of town fill up a lot more hotel rooms and eat a lot more restaurant meals than locals. One estimate has it that Butler's presence will deplete the economic impact for the city by up to 25 per cent.
Besides that, as my friend Bob Kravitz, ace sports columnist for the Indianapolis Star, pointed out yesterday, the media horde has diminished because of the economic crisis that has either killed newspapers or forced them to cut down their coverage severely.
One of the largest media contingents comes from the National Center for Sports Journalism, the Indiana University program where I've been teaching this academic year. One of my students reported excitedly that she actually got to talk to Greg Gumbel and stand next to Jim Nantz.
But, then, of course, there's another student who's a diehard UK fan. Not only is she still mourning the Wildcats' loss to West Virginia, she suffered the added indignity of being assigned to do a story about Duke.
“I like being here,” she said, “but I'd have to say it's exciting/depressing.”
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INDIANAPOLIS – So now I'm at the Downtown Marriott, the official media headquarters hotel, and I'm waiting to see who wins the Associated Press version of the Coach and Player of the Year awards.
The suspense in the player category ends early when Ohio State's Evan Turner walks in, accompanied by his family. The room is almost empty, so Turner sits down and begins texting on his cell phone.
I go over to introduce himself and ask him about the Buckeyes' game against Indiana in Assembly Hall. Hampered by foul trouble, Turner didn't have his best game. Still, Ohio State won by double digits.
“Indiana competed real hard, even when they got behind,” Turner said.
“I can see why players want to play for Tom Crean. I like his quiet kind of intensity. He teaches them to never give up and they don't.”
Soon Turner is joined by his coach, Thad Motta. But Motta isn't the AP Coach of the Year. Nope, that honor goes to Boeheim, who saunters in at the last moment and takes a seat at the podium on stage.
I supposed I shouldn't begrudge Boeheim his honors, considering that this is the first time in 34 years that he's won the AP award. That's ridiculous, but not as much as the fact that Denny Crum never won it.
“We had low expectations (before the season),” said Boeheim, “why is why coaches win these kind of awards.”
He's absolutely right. The coach who starts the season ranked near the top and meets expectations is seldom rewarded. It's almost always a coach whose team was a “surprise.” Before the season, Syracuse wasn't even ranked in the top 25.
Again, the voting takes place too early.
Boeheim and Turner may well have been the most deserving receipients a month ago. But today I'd have to vote for Butler's Brad Stevens for Coach of the Year and his star, Gordon Hayward, for the Player of the Year.
And, heck, all the other Final Four coaches – Michigan State's Tom Izzo, West Virginia's Bob Huggins, and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski – now look more deserving than Boeheim, who somehow managed to lose to Louisville not once but twice, including the Cards' historic final home game in Freedom Hall.
The AP ceremony isn't nearly as well-attended as the USBWA breakfast, which is just fine with those reporters who showed up because they can get more face time with the recipients. Around the room were photos of past AP winners such as Larry Bird, Ralph Sampson, and Bill Walton.
The AP used to name its Coach of the Year Award in honor of Adolph Rupp, the great Kentucky coach. However, after Curry Kirkpatrick of Sports Illustrated did a piece in the early 1990s that portrayed Rupp as a racist, and after many young writers accepted that as gospel, the AP withdrew its sponsorship of the Rupp Award and decided to go it alone.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Lexington, which selected the winners for the AP, decided to keep the so-called "Rupp Cup" alive. This year's winners -- John Calipari and John Wall -- were honored on Thursday, the first time in the award's history that two UK people have won it.
Sadly, however, the Rupp Cup no longer enjoys the prestige it had when the AP sponsored it, and the AP Award doesn't get the attention it received when it was allied with the Commonwealth Athletic Club.
It would be a good thing if the two could get back together, especially considering that Kirkpatrick's charges against Rupp are false. Rather than being a racist, Rupp deserves to be remembered as the first coach in the SEC or ACC to offer a scholarship to an African-American.
On the shuttle to Lucas Oil Stadium, I sit across the aisle from Kenny Klein, the veteran U of L sports information director who's the best in his business for my money.
Kenny tells me he's just gotten the final approval from ESPN to produce a DVD of the Syracuse game in Freedom Hall. It will include interviews with former players and coaches.
Man, I'd like to have a piece of that action. Maybe we could package it with my Freedom Hall book if we go to a second printing.
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Billy Reed