| 05 April 2010
Everything is impermanent. A mantra that the Butler Bulldogs would be wise to remember when the clock strikes midnight (literally and figuratively) tonight. They had an amazing run, but everything must come to an end. And, unfortunately for us dreamers out there, it is going to come to an end via a loss to the Duke Blue Devils.
I've been thinking hard about this, but I just don't see a feasible way that Butler will be able to beat Duke tonight in the NCAA Tournament Championship Game (not sure if "Championship Game" should really be capitalized or not, but doing so makes it seem more important, don't you think?). Surprisingly (or perhaps not, since they had the easiest path to the finals), Duke has turned into a powerhouse this tournament, laying waste to every team that they come in contact with. And the scary thing for Butler is that Duke can beat you in numerous ways. Much is made of their "Big Three" of Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, but Singler went 0-10 from the field a couple of game ago and the Blue Devils still kept on rolling. When those three players are all clicking, Duke can outgun you. But they also can do something very un-Duke like and overpower you. Coach K finally has a team with some size, and when they go to the bench they get even bigger with the Plumlee brothers. And Duke possesses one of the most rarest qualities you're going to find in a BCS team in today's age of "one-and-done" players - experience. All five Duke starters are upperclassman, something you would expect to be the case with a mid-major team like Butler, not a hoops powerhouse like Duke.
But the main reason Butler isn't going to be able to finish off their season with a win is Duke's size. While Butler might claim to be, it really is Duke who is Too Big Yo.
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