INDIANAPOLIS—For the first time all tournament, Butler let an opponent score more than 60 points in a game. The problem was, it happened in the most important game of the season as Duke defeated Butler 61–59 on Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
“Congratulations to an amazing Butler team and their fans for a fabulous year,” said a hoarse Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski at the trophy presentation.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that we’re the national champions.”
“We’ve been in eight [championships] and this was the best one. A lot of kids made big plays for both teams,” said Krzyzewski.
Poor shooting for the Bulldogs continued as they only shot 34.5 percent while Duke made half of their field goals in the first half and ended the game shooting 44.2 percent.
Fifteen lead changes and five ties characterized a game where Butler stayed toe-to-toe with the big boys from Tobacco Road despite their offensive woes. However, star Gordon Hayward was limited to 12 points on 2–10 shooting.
Bulldogs forward Avery Jukes stepped up big in the first half and led all scorers with 10 points at halftime. He shot 4–6 from the field, including 2–3 from 3-point range after only making 11 3-pointers all year.
Duke’s big three, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler, carried the Blue Devils as they combined for 47 points. The Blue Devils won despite shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Singler led all scorers with 19 points and 9 rebounds and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, joining Smith, Scheyer, Hayward, and Butler guard Shelvin Mack on the all-tournament team.
The Bulldogs’ Matt Howard, who was a game-day decision due to the mild concussion he suffered in the semifinal game against Michigan State, started and scored the first point of the championship game from the free throw line.
Howard put Butler in contention late with two consecutive layups to cut the lead to 60–59. However, Hayward’s game-winning jumper with seven seconds left was off the mark.
“We just came up a bounce short,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens. “Certainly nothing to hang our heads about.”
Duke center Brian Zoubek made 1–2 free throws to seal the win. Hayward’s buzzer-beating heave from half-court almost banked in for what would have been one of the most memorable shots in NCAA tournament history.
“Congratulations to an amazing Butler team and their fans for a fabulous year,” said a hoarse Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski at the trophy presentation.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that we’re the national champions.”
“We’ve been in eight [championships] and this was the best one. A lot of kids made big plays for both teams,” said Krzyzewski.
Poor shooting for the Bulldogs continued as they only shot 34.5 percent while Duke made half of their field goals in the first half and ended the game shooting 44.2 percent.
Fifteen lead changes and five ties characterized a game where Butler stayed toe-to-toe with the big boys from Tobacco Road despite their offensive woes. However, star Gordon Hayward was limited to 12 points on 2–10 shooting.
Bulldogs forward Avery Jukes stepped up big in the first half and led all scorers with 10 points at halftime. He shot 4–6 from the field, including 2–3 from 3-point range after only making 11 3-pointers all year.
Duke’s big three, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler, carried the Blue Devils as they combined for 47 points. The Blue Devils won despite shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Singler led all scorers with 19 points and 9 rebounds and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, joining Smith, Scheyer, Hayward, and Butler guard Shelvin Mack on the all-tournament team.
The Bulldogs’ Matt Howard, who was a game-day decision due to the mild concussion he suffered in the semifinal game against Michigan State, started and scored the first point of the championship game from the free throw line.
Howard put Butler in contention late with two consecutive layups to cut the lead to 60–59. However, Hayward’s game-winning jumper with seven seconds left was off the mark.
“We just came up a bounce short,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens. “Certainly nothing to hang our heads about.”
Duke center Brian Zoubek made 1–2 free throws to seal the win. Hayward’s buzzer-beating heave from half-court almost banked in for what would have been one of the most memorable shots in NCAA tournament history.
