Title Game: Butler +7.5 vs Duke (ov/un 128.5) 9:15 ET, CBS

[TGfan06]

i figured it was obvious.

That the toughest team they played was WVU without their starting PG? and D. Butler for the last 6 minutes?

That is like saying Alabama was easily so much better than anyone in the country because they beat a Texas team without their leader. It is a bullshit title.

 

[BB73]

Wow, guys.

Classy posts, all of 'em.

So proud of our guys. Hard fought. Well earned.

Had to beat the crowd, the refs, the outstanding Butler players...and I think a little bit of destiny!

So proud...what a team tournament.

Thanks for all the great memories!

I'll see all you folks when the Spring game rolls around!

I got to settle the vBet befire midnight.

The refs?

 

[Buckeye513]

Had to beat..the refs

:tic:

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

That the toughest team they played was WVU without their starting PG? and D. Butler for the last 6 minutes?

That is like saying Alabama was easily so much better than anyone in the country because they beat a Texas team without their leader. It is a bullshit title.

how difficult was Maryland's road in 2002?

 

[Mr_Burns]

Wow, guys.

Classy posts, all of 'em.

So proud of our guys. Hard fought. Well earned.

Had to beat the crowd, the refs, the outstanding Butler players...and I think a little bit of destiny!

So proud...what a team tournament.

Thanks for all the great memories!

I'll see all you folks when the Spring game rolls around!

Enjoy it tonight, but just know that once you wake up tomorrow morning your focus has to shift to rooting on your UCONN Lady Huskies to their next title.

 

[southcampus]

Beat the refs? Why don't you go beat your bandwagon meat and eat shit.

 

[Meyer]

i figured it was obvious.

I mean you didn't really say anything new.... Of course they'll still be champions. It doesn't mean they are a great team. I'm not saying they don't deserve it; they beat everyone they faced. But I was saying that they are a pretty mediocre champion.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Before I get riled up, I'll just say that Scheyer "charge" call was BS.

Should have been an And-1 for Gordon.

Fuck, this sucks.

 

[TGfan06]

how difficult was Maryland's road in 2002?

I am a fan... It is short for fanatical. Give me a freaking break man. I hate duke more than anything!

Wait... I am drunk so forgive me if I am wrong, didn't they beat a 1 seed in Kansas and a 2 in UCONN?

 

[3074326]

It is a bullshit title.

No such thing.

Was rooting hard for Butler.

 

[Gatorubet]

I know that Duke's height had a lot to do with it, but - damn - there was a stretch where the damn ball would bounce right to the hands of the one Duke guy standing in a crowd of Bulldogs, setting them up for another offensive play. Not once or twice, but quite a few times after the half when I thought Butler might make a little run and put some pressure on. Championships come down to a few of those missed opportunities. I always like to see the favorite have to battle back from eight or ten down to prove they can keep their cool when it's sphincter puckering time. Butler seemed to always be preternaturally confident and focused, despite not having the size or talent of Duke.

Also, Fuck Duke!!!

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I mean you didn't really say anything new.... Of course they'll still be champions. It doesn't mean they are a great team. I'm not saying they don't deserve it; they beat everyone they faced. But I was saying that they are a pretty mediocre champion.

OK. And what I'm saying is, they're still the champs. they nor their fans will acknowledge or care how they got there.

I am a fan... It is short for fanatical. Give me a freaking break man. I hate duke more than anything!

Wait... I am drunk so forgive me if I am wrong, didn't they beat a 1 seed in Kansas and a 2 in UCONN?

fuck if I know.....that's my point.

 

[PlanetFrnd]

I mean, I didn't lose money because of Duke, but these motherfuckers prevented me from winning an additional $400+

Even more reason to fucking hate these motherfuckers. Fuck.

Butler played with alot of heart.

Fuck.

 

[TGfan06]

OK. And what I'm saying is, they're still the champs. they nor their fans will acknowledge or care how they got there.


fuck if I know.....that's my point.

I will look up the rest tomorrow... but off the top of my head:

Kansas, UCONN, Kentucky, Indiana > Baylor, WVU, Purdue, Butler?

I am just asking you to name an easier path to a title? I know it won't change the results, but it makes me feel a little better.

 

[mross34]

Anyone who's saying dukes title was anything less than deserved needs to reassess the situation

To win the title, Duke played #16 Arkansas Pine-Bluff, #8 Cal, #4 Purdue (much better with Kramer filling in for Hummel than anyone anticipated), #3 Baylor (the team that impressed me the most in the tournament), #2 WVU (a team most thought was deserving of duke's #1 seed and many had in the title game), and #5 Butler.

If OSU had won the title, they would have played #15 UCSB, #10 Georgia Tech, #6 Tennessee (who lost to a team without their star player that OSU handled twice during the regular season), #5 MSU (without the reigning Big 10 POY), #5 Butler, and #1 Duke (who apparently wasn't a championship caliber team).

Argue that Duke's region was over-seeded all you want, but their road to the title was 4 seeds tougher than OSU's would have been. Also, people underestimated Baylor, and no one (with the exception of Butler, who Duke beat anyway) OSU would have played before the championship game was nearly as tough as WVU. If you take the Duke/Butler disparity out of the equation (because Duke can't play themselves) the difference is 8 seeds.

It's OSU's own fault if Duke had a relatively easy road to the championship. Bottom line is OSU had a much easier path than Duke did. Would you make the same statements qualifying OSU's title if they had won with that path?

I fucking hate Duke, and was rooting extremely hard for Butler tonight, but Duke stayed the course and played good enough basketball to win 6 games in a row. They deserve the title.