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

[PtownBuckeye]

. I'm not clear on what it is exactly about Duke that makes normally rational people into rabid [censored]ing assholes.

 

[Bill Lucas]

If Howard had half a clue how he should play when he gets fouls, Butler would have won.

FIFY.

That last shot was an inch of two short of being perfection. I think Butler made a huge mistake in not putting the ball in Hayward's hands every possession. He had three straight possessions where he drove to the basket and either got to the line or converted (bull[censored] call on the charge against Scheyer, it was clearly a blocking foul) and two possessions where Howard got layups on passes from Hayward. Then he gets no touches for several possessions with the game on the line. Hayward could have been the difference in the game but for some reason Butler decided to go away from him at the most critical point of the game.

 

[MaxBuck]

One thing that shouldn't go without mention is the play throughout the tournament of Gordon Hayward. This kid is going to be good the rest of his collegiate stay (however long that is) and in the NBA. Love his game; he's developing a crossover that will make him extremely hard to defend.

 

[NFBuck]

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!

First: "Our guys"? Really?

Second: They had to beat the refs? You've got some balls.

 

[mercurial1]

All in all it was an excellent basketball game.

I think Butler did an outstanding job despite the loss.

What also made it a good game was the fact it was pretty much whistle-free by comparison to most big games. The refs did a pretty good job of stayin' the f**k out of it.

You have to give it to Butler on their defense. They damn near stopped Duke and made 'em work hard for what they got.

 

[NFBuck]

Brad Stevens is gonna be a very wealthy man soon.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I understand that most Buckeye fans (and non-Duke fans in general) have some sort of pantybunch disease when it comes to the Blue Devils, but the absolute hatred is truly baffling. I'm not clear on what it is exactly about Duke that makes normally rational people into rabid fucking assholes.

actually....people who don't hate duke is what baffles me. tons of unathletic goobers running around getting every break imaginable. how do you not hate that?

 

[jwinslow]

actually....people who don't hate duke is what baffles me. tons of unathletic goobers running around getting every break imaginable. how do you not hate that?

case in point: see how folks treat UNC, who held a huge edge in success, titles & 'them winning again' this decade before this year.

 

[MaxBuck]

... getting every break imaginable...

Sure; that explains their success, all right.

 

[jwinslow]

Sure; that explains their success, all right.

Definitely last night, but it's easy to see why people feel that way most of the time.

When guys like Paulus, Reddick or even Kramer get constant whistles, it gets under people's skin far more than Nolan Smith or Ty Lawson.

 

[sepia5]

I understand that most Buckeye fans (and non-Duke fans in general) have some sort of pantybunch disease when it comes to the Blue Devils, but the absolute hatred is truly baffling. I'm not clear on what it is exactly about Duke that makes normally rational people into rabid [censored]ing assholes.

It's (mostly) all here:

Anti-Duke Manifesto

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Sure; that explains their success, all right.

did I say that?

 

[TGfan06]

I understand that most Buckeye fans (and non-Duke fans in general) have some sort of pantybunch disease when it comes to the Blue Devils, but the absolute hatred is truly baffling. I'm not clear on what it is exactly about Duke that makes normally rational people into rabid fucking assholes.

I am a Maryland basketball fan... So the first game I go to was the one where duke comes back from 10 in the last minute to win. I was lucky enough to sit next to a duke student at the game. I hated them more than any other team ever since.

 

[NFBuck]

Uncanny.

 

[MaxBuck]

It's (mostly) all here:

Anti-Duke Manifesto

Wow. Accurate, no doubt. What a shitload of antipathy one needs to have built up, though, to write a 10,000+ word screed on why one hates a particular sports team.

As for unattractive student body mentioned by the blogger - well, given the amount of time I've spent on the beautiful Duke campus, I have to call BS. Chicks are not up to the standards of Florida or Ole Miss, but better than the unfortunately chubby coed population in Columbus. And in a different universe from the uglyfest in Ann Arbor.

As a modestly pro-Duke hoop fan, I agree that Coach K has encouraged his teams to flop at the merest whiff of contact. Until it quits working, I'd expect that tactic to continue.

TG, given that you're a Terp fan, I can understand why you have the feelings you do. For all the smack talk that exists between the 'Heels and the Devils, the students put aside their cheering differences and party together every weekend on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. But Maryland really hates Duke, and Duke regards Maryland with disdain. That's probably the ugliest rivalry in the ACC.

Bottom line: if Duke (or anyone else) plays tOSU, I'm rooting hard and loud for the Buckeyes. But I have a lot of respect for what Coach K has accomplished in Durham. He's done a lot for the university, and I'm thankful.