SCOTT JACOBS

The University of Arizona has been a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament.  For 25 years in a row they were that one team you could count on without a doubt, that would be in the dance.  Then their Hall of Fame coach started getting older, the coaching situation got sticky, and the Wildcats went through a bit of a rough patch, missing the tournament for the first time since 1985.  That was last year.

This. is. not. last. year.

Because last year’s Arizona team barely mustered more wins than losses (16-15).  Last year’s team was just getting used to Sean Miller’s coaching ways.  Last year’s Wildcats team had a vision but not the seasoned pieces.

This year’s team does.

Led by All-American, soon to be considered all-everything, and I’d argue the next #1 pick of the NBA Draft Derrick Williams, Arizona exploded for 55 points in the second half of their Sweet 16 Showdown with Duke, en route to a mesmerizing rout.  The best performance of the tourney if you ask me (Sorry Ohio State), when considering the competition.  When considering the level of talent Duke was able to trot out on the floor.  When considering how Arizona was a one man gang in the first half, and then a freight train out of hell in the second, hitting on all cylinders in a flurry of slams, bams, and thank you ma’am’s.

And before you knew it, the Blue Devils’ 6 point lead at half had evaporated.  Arizona never looked back from there.

Just three Wildcats finished in double figures with Williams’ emphatic 32 points and 13 assists leading the way, but 9 Arizona players scored, showing that they are more than just a one man wrecking crew.  Last night they were more like a wrecking ball.

Arizona outscored Duke by 22 — as impressive a second half as I’ve ever seen from a Duke opponent in my lifetime — and it was actually 25 if you count Williams’ incredible 3 pointer right before the 1st half closed.

“Arizona’s gonna win this game,” said Charles Barkley at the half, sticking with his Final Four pick, as other analysts’ Kenny the Jet Smith and Greg Anthony stared at him in bewilderment.

Mike Kryzyzewski came into the night fresh off his 900th win, and two away from Bob Knight’s all time record of 902. Nolan Smith had stated that it would be one of his greatest accomplishments if he could be part of the Duke team that got him that mark.  What was another National Championship Game appearance anyways?

Arizona had other ideas.  Starting out fast, then faster, and then finally playing so quick that it felt like you were watching the Tasmanian devil (ala: Space Jam), ‘Zona outran, out muscled, and even outclassed Duke in the second half, breaking open a decidedly pro-Duke game into an Arizona stunner with an epic 19-2 run that the folks in Tuscon will be reminiscing about long after this fairy tale of a comeback season has been wrapped up.

Undeniably, this wasn’t Coach K’s best team.  Trying to get stud point guard Kyrie Irving back into the flow of things clearly messed with the Devils’ chemistry.  But after Williams’ huge 3 right before the half to close the deficit to 6, Arizona was right where they wanted to be — right in the thick of things.  Plus, while we’re at it, Arizona is used to dealing with Devils.  Their archrival is afterall, Arizona State.  But the Sun Devils aren’t anywhere near the stratosphere that the Blue Devils are, and what made Arizona’s defacing of Duke so amazing was not that they won, but how they won.

They won relentlessly.

Usually when lower seeded teams get big leads against big time teams they cough it up, because they abandon what got them that huge lead and they get complacent.  Arizona tried something different.  As Duke pressed to try to force turnovers Arizona ratcheted the pace up another notch, showcasing playground like precision in finding the open man for easy layups and rim-rattling slams.  By the final score, Arizona didn’t hold on to victory by playing keep away.  They won because they manhandled Duke on the boards (35-26) and literally outran them out of a raucous Honda Center, turning Anaheim into Arizona-land.

And Williams, o man, what a game.  All the attention has been on The Jimmer, but as Fredette struggled to find his range as his overmatched Cougars got knocked out by Florida in OT, Williams seemed to only get stronger. Sure Jimmer still ended up with 32, but it was a tough 32 on a terrible shooting night.  Fredetette’s a really good player.

Williams is a freak.

I knew this kid was good, but his stock is through the roof right now.  The kid can post up, shoot the three, finish at the basket, and he gets to the line more than anyone in the country.  He can shoot free throws and he can fly down the court. In an NBA Draft class expected to be one of the weakest in years, Williams has scouts drooling with his athleticism, leadership, and most importantly, his clutch gene.  The man relishes the big stage, tackles end of game situations with a thirst for more, and o yeah- lest us forget- he can swat your shot like a fly.  And did you see that handle that he was demonstrating? Dayummm.

But with just Williams, Arizona isn’t here today.  We’re not talking about the Wildcats going to the Elite Eight with a real shot at going to the Final Four and for that matter — maybe winning a championship, something that Duke did last year.  It takes a team, even if it took a one man show to invigorate said team to territory it may not have thought was possible coming into the season.

In their first two wins, escapes over the Tigers and Texas, Arizona had to get a heroic play at the end to salt away their slot in the next round.  In their third win, their was no drama.  No questions. Arizona knocked out the champs not by surviving, but by thriving. By playing at an almost inhumane level.  By shocking the pundits and bringing back respect to the desert.

Arizona is a 5 seed.  Butler was a 5 seed last year.  Is it possible that this year’s Butler is the team that did what those Bulldogs couldn’t?  That would be beating Duke.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

There’s no BCS and college hoops fans have to be incredibly thankful for that.  Because after a week where the top 4 in college hoops all went down, allowing #5 Duke (the only team that was able to get out of its own way) to leapfrog all the way back to #1, this sure would have been a lot scarier for teams title dreams if computer numbers dictated who goes to the championship.

Thankfully they don’t.  Which presents an interesting question: In actuality (a shout out to new NCAA Tournament partner TruTV) does being #1 matter?  Like at all.  Besides having bragging rights, and the chance to put it in your media guide and history books, does being #1 really mean anything in college hoops?

To which, I say no.  And a strong no at that.  Bet on College Basketball at BetUS, and you’ll see that most teams within the top 10 are all pretty close.  Especially in a year where there is nothing close to a dominant team.  While Ohio State stayed undefeated the longest, they have come back to the pack, and their young team no longer looks like the world-beaters they appeared to be.

The last time the top 4 teams all lost during the same week?  That would be November 2003, when Connecticut, Duke, Arizona, and Michigan State all lost.  The irony of course is that none of those teams made the Final Four, which doubly ironic, was won by yours truly Carmelo Anthony and his Syracuse Orange.

So what’s the message here?  Just get in.  The higher the seed the better obviously, but the number one overall seed in the tourney hasn’t claimed the title since that 2001 Duke team.  And they were flat out awesome.

There’s no flat out awesome team to note in this year’s field, just a bunch of very good teams who tend to slip up.

Now, if there is a trend that smaller-conference schools have to be wary of, it’s this one:  no non-BCS conference has laid claim to winning the tourney since 1990.  UNLV cut down the nets that year, and that was two decades ago.

Butler (2010), Memphis (2008), George Mason (2006), Utah (1998), UMass (1996), and UNLV (1990, 1991) are the only non-BCS schools to even make it to the Final Four in those 20 years.  So the odds are stacked against the likes of the San Diego States and BYU’s of the world, even though they have an equal opportunity to win it, if they can get in it.  Which getting in has never been more realistic, considering that 68 teams now get a crack at the ruckus that is the NCAA Tournament.

But that doesn’t make it easy.

Even during their glory run, Gonzaga only once made the Elite Eight.  Saint Joseph’s in their dream season with Jameer Nelson leading the way, only made the Elite Eight as well, and they were a #1 seed.  Of course in the past few years teams like Memphis and Butler have made the championship game, so it’s not exactly unfathomable, and it’s a hell of a lot easier than making it as a non-BCS school in college football.

But the Aztecs and Cougars will have their shot to win 6 in a row come March and that’s all you can ask for as a fan of the sport.  Even though there’s only usually a handful of teams that seem capable of winning a championship come April, anything can happen, as George Mason can attest to, when they shocked the world all the way to the Final Four.

But being #1?  Why, that’s hardly necessary.  In fact, it’s probably more pressure than it’s worth.  Kansas got caught in the mousetrap that is top overall seed when they fell to Northern Iowa in the secound round last year.  Remember when Kentucky fell to U.A.B?  And the beat goes on.

The moral to the story: when it comes to college hoops there is hardly a difference being a 1, 2, or even a 3 seed.  The competition is slightly harder the lower your seed, but you’re talking about top 12-top 15 caliber teams, who can beat anyone on a given day.  That my friends, is why it ain’t what you’re seeded.  It’s what you do once the tourney starts.  Like the Packers proved in their historic playoff run.  Just get in.  Anything can happen from there.

Photo: AP

CARRINGTON HARRISON

This season, the thinking has been that it’s Duke and everyone else.  In the early part of this season the Blue Devils have cruised to a 9-0 record, defeating highly ranked teams like Kansas State and Michigan State along the way.

A team that returned everyone except two complimentary players in Jon Scheyer and Brain Zoubek has gotten better and deeper. All of that was put into question however, when leading scorer and freshman point guard Kylie Irving got injured against Butler, now out indefinitely with a toe injury.  Irving up to this point was the best freshman in the nation this side of Jared Sullinger.

So the questions have to be asked.  Has the gap closed between the Dukies and the rest of the nation? What team does this help the most?

A myriad of teams are aided by Irving’s injury (Michigan State, Kansas, Syracuse, and Ohio State to name a few). But there is no reason for Coach K and Duke to panic. Irving will back.  A 18-19 year old heals quickly, especially someone in the elite level shape that Irving is in.

So before fans throw dirt on the Blue Devils take a look at their roster. The 17.4 points per game that Irving was averaging will now be picked up by Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry. Dawkins may be the best shooter in the country right now, shooting 54% from behind the arch and shooting (as older brother Steph and father Dell have shown) is in the Curry family lines.

Translation: Duke will be just fine.

They still have All-American Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and the Plumlee brothers to rely on.  I’m more than confident in Coach K’s ability to coach this team past this injury and for Duke to continue to play at a high level until Irving’s return. Before we know it, it will be mid January or February and the only issue will be whether Irving can get back into game shape, after which we can all resume rooting against Duke like we did before.

SCOTT JACOBS

Duke was bigger, tougher, and stronger, but against a gritty, veteran Butler team with nothing to lose, it still was barely enough.  As Gordon Hayward dashed up court, with the seconds ticking away on a fairytale run for the Butler Bulldogs, you couldn’t help think that the way things had gone, why couldn’t he make a half court three to win a national championship.  And then he nearly did.  Hayward heaved the ball as hard as he could and it bounced off the backboard, a paralyzing few split seconds, as Duke ran out to celebrate an unforgettable national championship game.

Duke 61 Butler 59.

And even that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Butler remarkably had held all five of their previous tourney opponents under 60 points.  Tonight they allowed 61.  And lost by a basket.

To quote Gus Johnson, “what… a… game!”

Butler took knocks for getting a lot of breaks along the way to the championship game (Kansas State coming off a 2 OT game, Michigan State being diluded by injuries, etc., etc.), but they played a complete and healthy Duke team and they didn’t blink an eye.

Duke shot 10% better from the field.
They out rebounded Butler by 16.
Duke had as many blocks as Butler had assists.
They had less fouls and more steals.

And yet it still came down to one shot.  And Haywood just missed.

And this improbable, sometimes unexplainable Butler run came just short.

But it had nothing to do with heart.  Butler showed so very much.
Hustle wasn’t an issue either.  The Bulldogs were just as feisty as the mighty Dukies.

How close was this game?  No team led by more than six points, and Duke outscored Butler by a point.  In both halves.

But it was the dreaded field goal drought that really hurt Butler, as they went over 8 minutes in the second half without a field goal.  And yet, that patented Bulldog defense still would not let their dreams die.

Haywood had a chance to insert himself into tournament lore twice.  A tough fadeaway 15 footer was too hard, and the afforementioned just miss from half court were the difference.

“We came up one possession short, in a game of 145 possessions,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens, who instantly jumps into most coveted mid major coach in the country.  At 33, this kid has one heck of a bright future.  And if that future keeps him at Butler, the school that first gave him a shot to become a coach, than the Bulldogs will be a team that will be tough to reckon with in years to come.

So you feel for these kids.  Because quite frankly, the team that seemingly lucked into a Final Four and survived the semifinals, proved tonight that they belonged here all along.  Yeah, Butler.

Forget Horizon League versus ACC, forget David versus Goliath.  What you saw tonight was two evenly matched teams that played tooth and nail to the bitter end.  Put a Kansas jersey on Butler and everyone would say these two teams were the best in the land.

In a season of minimal parity besides the heavyweights at the top, Butler proved to the nation that the Dogs are right there… and then some.

But let’s not leave out Duke, which returned to the top of the college basketball mountain after a near decade, with a fantastic overall team, and a center in Brian Zoubek who just swallowed every rebound whole.  Duke may not have appeared to be the best team early on, but they proved it in the tourney that they deserve to be top Dog.

That’s no knock on Butler.

Tonight, Duke was simply two points better.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

In a tournament chalk full of nothing so far, Belmont finally gave us a show. The 15 seed from Tennessee hung neck and neck with Duke all the way to the end, even leading by a point with under 20 seconds to go. But they couldn’t hold on, and the dream dies with that.

You have to give Belmont a lot of credit. They played one hell of a game, but turning the ball over on an inbounds play with under 5 seconds to go cost them history. They came that close to becoming the 5th 15 seed to ever beat a 2.

Belmont played a gutsy game, and they were scoring when it looked they were dead in the water. But in the end Duke did just enough to keep their season going.

So there you have it. By far the best game of the tourney so far. Who woulda thunk it? And right now, the biggest upset so far, USC losing to K-State and the Fighting Beasleys, isn’t that big of an upset at all.

Having said that, the USC game and the Duke game were gems and hope reigns supreme that this tourney will be a dousy.

Can George Mason knock off the Irish? Can the Cats take down the Fighting Alexanders? God I love March Madness!