This year’s “March Madness” has been as mad as ever, and Saturday proved to be more of the same.
In the national semifinals, aka the Final Four, Duke beat West Virginia 78-57 and Butler beat Michigan State 52-50. Both games had their share of surprise and intrigue but for very different reasons.
The Duke-West Virginia game was the more surprising of the two games. It is the fact that the game was a blowout that this game was astonishing. Last week, West Virginia defeated number one seed Kentucky, considered by many to be the best team in the country. However, the Mountaineers’ highly touted defense seemed helpless against the Blue Devil’s hot shooting. Duke shot 53% from the field and an astonishing 52% from the three point line.
The other game went down to the wire. Butler ultimately prevailed with a basket by Gordon Hayward with 2 seconds left, but for most of the game the outcome was in doubt. Butler was able to force 16 turnovers and, in many ways, this proved to be the deciding factor in the game. Still, Michigan State was able to come within one point, 52-50, with 56 seconds left. However, Michigan State was not able to come back.
The championship game is Monday, and it is the underdog, mid-major Butler Bulldogs against the storied, traditional powerhouse Duke Blue Devils. While Duke had a better regular season, Butler has the nation’s longest winning streak and one other advantage: the championship game is essentially a home game. Nevertheless, it will be a great game and hopefully one for the ages.
In the national semifinals, aka the Final Four, Duke beat West Virginia 78-57 and Butler beat Michigan State 52-50. Both games had their share of surprise and intrigue but for very different reasons.
The Duke-West Virginia game was the more surprising of the two games. It is the fact that the game was a blowout that this game was astonishing. Last week, West Virginia defeated number one seed Kentucky, considered by many to be the best team in the country. However, the Mountaineers’ highly touted defense seemed helpless against the Blue Devil’s hot shooting. Duke shot 53% from the field and an astonishing 52% from the three point line.
The other game went down to the wire. Butler ultimately prevailed with a basket by Gordon Hayward with 2 seconds left, but for most of the game the outcome was in doubt. Butler was able to force 16 turnovers and, in many ways, this proved to be the deciding factor in the game. Still, Michigan State was able to come within one point, 52-50, with 56 seconds left. However, Michigan State was not able to come back.
The championship game is Monday, and it is the underdog, mid-major Butler Bulldogs against the storied, traditional powerhouse Duke Blue Devils. While Duke had a better regular season, Butler has the nation’s longest winning streak and one other advantage: the championship game is essentially a home game. Nevertheless, it will be a great game and hopefully one for the ages.
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