The Road Goes Ever On

As the final 2 seconds drained off the clock, Gordon Hayward fiercely wrapped his arms around the ball. The game was over, but Butler’s miracle run continued. In front of screaming fans in their home state of Indiana, the tiny Bulldogs shocked mighty Michigan State, 52-50. Hayward finished with 19 points, as well as the final rebound to close out the game. 

The victory extended Butler’s extraordinary run as the tournament’s “Cinderella” story. In the course of five games, the Bulldogs advanced to their first Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final 4 berths in school history. No longer are they a fairy-tale story, but a major player on college basketball’s biggest stage. 

Saturday night’s game was physical, marked by scrappy defense and fundamental execution. Butler won, despite poor shooting. They were 15-of-49 for 30.4 %. Their victory was assisted in part by the Spartans 40% shooting. The Bulldogs went almost 11 minutes without a score in the second half until Hayward’s layup with 1:36 remaining on the clock. 

Hayward’s layup made it 50-47. A Bulldog foul on Draymond Green sent Michigan State to the line with 56 seconds left. Both of Green’s free throws were good, cutting Butler’s lead to 50-49. 

When senior Ronald Nored missed a layup, it seemed Butler was in trouble, but they transitioned quickly and clamped down on defense. Green’s awkward layup wasn’t even close, rolling off the rim. Nored was fouled recovering the precious ball. 

With 6 seconds on the clock, Butler’s future was in the hands of a player who was 25% from the line for the tournament. Nored calmly sunk both. 

The Spartans inbounded and raced down the court, but Butler fouled Korie Lucious rather than allow a 3-point attempt. Two seconds remained on the clock. Lucious made the first and bricked the second in an attempt to force overtime. Hayward saved the game with his rebound and sent Butler to the national title game. 

Later that evening, Duke smothered West Virginia, 78-57. The Blue Devils cruised to their fourth national title appearance under Coach Krzyzewski behind the play of Duke’s “Big 3”: Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith. The three tallied 23, 21, and 19 points respectively, accounting for 63 of the teams 78 points. 

West Virginia played well for a time, but with the injury of star guard Da ‘Sean Butler, the Mountaineers game fell apart. Butler went down with a twisted knee at the 8:59 mark in the second half. He never returned and neither did the Mountaineers.

The Blue Devil’s dominating performance silenced many critics. Throughout the tournament, analysts bashed Duke for their “undeserved #1 ranking”, “gross un-athleticism” and (26-5) record in a relatively weak Atlantic Coast Conference.

Add that to the fact that Duke’s last Final Four was in 2004 and Coach “K” has suffered a title drought of 9 years, Duke garnered a lot of grief. But despite the criticism, long drought and glaring lack of a superstar hoopster or NBA lottery pick, they are championship bound.

“This is a team effort.” Singler was reported as saying. And their hard work and unified play has paid off.

On Monday night at 8:20pm Central Time, the sly Devil’s will face off against the ferocious Bulldogs in a classic giant vs. dwarf matchup. May the best team win.