Duke prevails; Butler had their chances.

The National Championship game was a game of close calls. Butler had many opportunities to score. Duke had many opportunities to pull away. Gordon Hayward came within inches of what would have been one of the greatest college basketball shots of all time. Duke gets the close win, 61-59.

Despite the game being close, Butler couldn’t hit field goals down the stretch. They missed seven of nine attempts, including a 3-pointer to tie, a two-pointer to go ahead and a 3-pointer to win in the final minute. The Butler three, Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, shot 10-34 from the field. Duke’s three, Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, shot 17-40 from the field.

Duke also began using their size in the second half. They won the offensive rebound battle eight to two after losing 10-3 in the first half.

Although Duke won, Butler played an amazing game. They did everything they needed to do, except make the shots at the end. Butler had their chances, but in the end, Duke was the better team. It was a great March Madness, and the title game couldn’t have been better.

Note: Alanna Medearis wins the I Am Sportacus bracket challenge with 123 points. She successfully chose Duke as the champion. Congratulations.

Duke's three-headed attack tames Bulldogs

The underdog Butler team gave favorite Duke a legitimate run for their money. In the end, they fell short 61-59, when Gordon Hayward’s running 3-point effort hit the back board the front of the rim and fell out.

Duke won its fourth national championship behind its three-headed attack of Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer.

The trio combined for 47 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists.

Duke shot better down the stretch, hitting 44 percent of their shots from the floor and sinking 10-of-16 free throws.

Butler lagged in field goal percentage (34 percent) but stayed in the game by hitting 6-of-18 3 pointers.

Hayward finished with 12 points, as did Shelvin Mack. The duo led the way for the hometown Bulldogs Matt Howard added 11.

Butler was in control of the offensive glass in the first half, but Duke neutralized their efforts as the game drew to a close – even with Brian Zoubek picking up his fourth foul with 11:21 remaining.

Duke had to use every attack and every defense they had to hold off Butler and it’s certainly a deserved championship.

The game is coming down to Duke's size; Butler needs to find a way to get points

The championship game has come down to this. With Duke leading by three and only three minutes remaining, it will come down to who makes the most stops at the end.

Butler holds and advantage at the free throw-line in the second half by nine points; however, Duke’s size is keeping Butler to only one shot while giving the Blue Devils more possessions.

It looks like the size advantage of Duke is dictating the outcome at the moment. If Butler doesn’t start to make shots, Duke will put it away and make it a free throw shooting game. They shoot over 70 percent as a team.

Duke taking advantage of size advantage; Butler missing good looks

With less than eight minutes left in the title game, a champion hasn’t emerged yet. Butler is playing a great defensive game, but they cannot get the wide-open buckets. The result is a four-point Duke lead.

With the game as even as it is, the little things will win the game. Duke has taken advantage of Butler’s foul trouble by using their size. Butler has had good looks, but they cannot connect.

The one thing keeping Butler in the game is the rebounding. The smaller Bulldogs are all over the ball, and Duke is having trouble getting second chances.

Duke beginning to rebound; Butler in foul trouble

Duke has averaged 73.4 pointes per game, but Butler’s defense is limiting them to one shot on most possessions. The result is a close game with l3 minutes to go.

Duke is beginning to get more second chance opportunities, however. They had two offensive rebounds on one series and couldn’t score, and they had a tip-in with the shot clock winding down in another. The Blue Devils will need to continue to pound the glass.

Butler’s Matt Howard is now sitting with four fouls, and the Bulldogs will need to keep up the defensive pressure. Howard is a great presence down low, and Duke will be looking to drive and pass now.

Duke is winning 45-43. Can Butler overcome the loss of size and continue to keep Duke off the glass? The game depends on it.

Even through halftime

The NCAA title game has certainly lived up to the hype through one half as Duke leads 33-32 at the break.

The teams have matched each other with 13 field goals each. Butler is shooting 1-of-4 from the stripe, while the Blue Devils have made 4-of-9; neither total is impressive. Butler has made five 3s to Dukes three. The result is a very close game that could go either way at this point.

Butler forward Avery Jukes has been impressive off the bench. He’s scored 10 points, including a 3 near the end of the half, and pulled down two rebounds. His presence was strongly needed when Matt Howard left the game with his second foul.

Shelvin Mack has eight points, including a pair of 3s, for the Bulldogs.

For Duke, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer have shared the workload the same way they have the entire tournament. Singler has nine points and five rebounds at half; Smith has nine points, including a 3; and Scheyer has eight points and three assists.

Butler has owned the glass on its own end, pulling down 10 offensive rebounds. Second chance points could prove deadly for Duke, if they do not get more aggressive on missed Bulldog shots.

Butler winning offensive rebound battle; keeping close with 3-pointer

With Ronald Nored and Matt Howard on the bench, the starting point guard and center respectively, the Butler Bulldogs have used second chance opportunities and the 3-pointer to stay close with Duke. The Blue Devils are shooting 51 percent from the field, but Butler has ten offensive rebounds and five 3-pointers.

On the defensive side, Butler has held Duke to only three offensive rebounds. Duke has been the best offensive rebounding team of the tournament, and they have made it here with the strength of their second chance opportunities.

If Butler can continue to hold Duke away from the offensive glass, they can shorten the game and give themselves a chance in the final minutes of the game. Look for Duke to try and assert their big players on the boards in the second half, and Butler to use more dribble penetration to open up open looks for the hot outside shooters. Duke 33, Butler 32.

Butler keeping up with Duke with offensive rebounds; Duke out shooting them

Duke leads all NCAA tournament teams with 74 offensive rebounds, and it was the main reason they crushed Wet Virginia, which helped them score over 20 second chance points. However, Butler is the team taking advantage of the second chances in the first half of the National Championship game.

They have four offensive rebounds, but they were able to score four second chance points to mask their eight for 26 shooting from the field. If Butler cannot start making shots, they will need to control the glass to allow second chance points. Butler can control the clock and tempo allowing less scoring opportunities for the Blue Devils.

If they cannot do this, Duke is shooting 50 percent from the field, and they will begin to pull away. The Bulldogs will need to force turnovers and stop the second chance opportunities of Duke as well. Duke 26, Butler 20.

Butler hitting 3s, Duke making free throws.

Despite shooting just 3-of-12 from inside the arc, Butler trails by just two because of some sharp shooting from 3-point range.

Butler is shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Shelvin Mack has two and Zach Hahn hit one just before the stop in play.

Kyle Singler answered with his own 3, but Duke is only 1-of-4 from long-range.

Duke is winning the battle at the free-throw line, shooting 60 percent to Butler’s 25 percent.

There is still plenty of time for each team to improve in each phase.

Early missed shots could haunt Butler

Early on, Butler has proven they intend to play with a lot of intensity. If they hope to have success, however, the Bulldog’s intensity cannot become anxiety.

Butler has gotten several good looks under the basket, but none of the shot have fallen. Two 3-pointer by Shelvin Mack has kept the score close, but Butler needs to take advantage of their opportunities in the early portion of the game.

Matt Howard has missed 3-of-4 free throws, which aren’t helping either.

Nolan Smith looks good early for Duke, hitting his first two field goals of the game and pulling down a rebound. Jon Scheyer’s hustle to block a fast break, shows the Blue Devils are willing to match Butler’s tempo.

NCAA basketball championship features dynasty, Cinderella

Tonight’s NCAA championship basketball game pits polar opposite teams against one another.

Duke is appearing in its 10^th NCAA title game, and is seeking its fourth title. The Blue Devils won in 2001 when they defeated Arizona; and won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992, beating Kansas and Michigan, respectively.

On the other side of the court is this year’s Cinderella-story Butler. The Butler Bulldogs made it all the way to the NCAA championship game as a five-seed. Butler beat fellow five-seed Michigan State in front of a home Indianapolis crowd and will be looking to win its first NCAA title.

The team’s have very different coaches as well. Duke boasts veteran coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Duke to all three of its national titles, has coached in 25 NCAA tournament bids and has made 10 final four appearances.

Butler is coached by Brad Stevens. Since becoming head coach in 2007, Stevens and the Bulldogs have been a mainstay atop the Horizon League Standings.

This year the young coach guided Butler to a 33-4 record and is one win away from putting his team in the record book.

While there are many differences between the two teams, the important similarity is they have won five tournament games in a row. Whoever wins the sixth gets all the glory.

Though Butler is less experienced as a school in championship basketball games they should not be ruled out. If they continue to hustle and play solid defense the can stay in the game. If Duke misses shots early, Butler can take advantage.

On the flip side, if Duke gets hot early, it could send the Bulldogs reeling. A productive start is the key for the Blue Devils to nail down its fourth NCAA championship.

One thing is for sure, neither team will go quietly - and that will make an entertaining basketball game.

Josh’s pick: Duke 68 – Butler 65. Butler will put up a good fight, but will run into similar problems Baylor had with Duke. Duke’s talent, and Coach K’s experience will prevail in the end.

Be sure to check back at the blog as both Anthony and Josh will be posting throughout tonight’s game. It is scheduled to tip-off at 8:21 p.m.

Monroe upset; Cuba City and Black Hawk play for title tomorrow

The WIAA girl’s basketball state semifinals for Division 1, 2 and 3, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis, were filled with plenty of surprises.

As the thunderous roar of the crowd sounded their drums, the players sprinted the court with the opportunity to become a hero for their respective schools.

In the first session of the day, Division 3 Cuba City crushed Brillion 56-40 to remain undefeated, and Oostberg easily took care of Osseo-Fairchild 64-43. Cuba City won on the strength of turnovers. They forced 16 and scored 17 points on them. Oostberg shot 60 percent and Julie Raeder scored 27 points to overcome 17 turnovers.

The championship will be after the Division 4 final, and Oostberg will need to limit their turnovers. Cuba City has the balance and the defense to limit Raeder, and the turnovers will only make it easier. However, Raeder is the type of player who can lead a team to a title by herself. If she shoots as well as the semifinal, it could be a long day for Cuba City. These two teams met in the state semifinals last year, and Cuba City, the state runner-up last year, won 43-40. The difference in that game: Cuba City had 10 points off of 15 turnovers.

In the second session, Winneconne upset Monroe, the No. 1 team in the division, 31-30, and New Berlin Eisenhower survived with a 50-48 win over Altoona. Monroe had their worst game since their only other loss at Division 1 Verona. They shot 26 percent and were dominated in the paint. They outscored 15-4 down low, even with the Jamie Armstrong and Ashley Hermanson. New Berlin Eisenhower out rebounded Altoona 35-26, including a 15-9 advantage on the offensive glass.

The championship will be tomorrow after the Division 3 final. Winneconne will need to shoot better than the semifinal, because 26 percent won’t beat the Lady Lions. New Berlin Eisenhower runs a quick offense, and they rebound well. The game could be over in the first half. However, Winneconne’s defense did hold Monroe to only 30 points.

The Division 4 final will feature Black Hawk and Newman Catholic. Black Hawk will need to limit turnovers, or they will have no chance. Newman Catholic forced 23 turnovers and scored 30 points from them in their semifinal versus Weston. Black Hawk only shot 26 percent, but they scored 21 points from turnovers to survive the game. The final may be a defensive battle, but Black Hawk needs to make the shots they should.

The Division 1 game will pit Milwaukee Pius XI, who defeated Milwaukee Vincent 63-58, and De Pere, who won 53-36 over Wausau. Milwaukee Vincent were two-time defending champions.

NCAA recaps:

Tennessee upsets Ohio State 76-73, even though Evan Turner scored 31 points for the buckeyes. The difference: Tennessee had 18 offensive rebounds, and they also had more balance on the offensive side. Wayne Chism had 22 points to lead the three other double-digit scorers for the Volunteers.

In the other early game, Baylor easily beats Saint Mary’s (Calif) 72-49. The Gaels only hit six 3-pointers out of 22 attempts, and they were out rebounded 37-25. Baylor is a final four pick to some, including I Am Sportacus writer Josh Smith. They may make it there yet. The win was very impressive. With the loss, no double-digit seeds remain.

In the late games, Michigan won a slow, defensive Big Ten type of game over Northern Iowa 59-52. The Panthers played great defense, but the Spartans shot better in the end. Northern Iowa was 4-16 from the 3-point line, and Michigan State out rebounded them 31-18. Northern Iowa didn’t hit a field goal for the last six minutes. The No. 5 Spartans will face the No. 6 Volunteers on Sunday for a chance to make the Final Four.

In the last game, Robbie Hummel’s absence finally caught up with Purdue as Duke blew them out 70-57. They didn’t have enough weapons to compete with Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, who combined for 57 points. JaJaun Johnson did all he could with 23 points. Duke is the second No. 1 seed to advance to the Elite Eight, but a great Baylor team will test the Blue Devils.

I Am Sportacus' interview with Aron Kehoe

Aron Kehoe sat down with I Am Sportacus to talk about winning the Division 3 800 meter national championship.

A disappointing end to Wisconsin seniors

Turnovers were the difference for Wisconsin, but it was surprisingly Cornell who had the better differential. Wisconsin had 10 turnovers, and Cornell scored over 15 points from them in the 87-69 loss.

Wisconsin also could rebound the ball defensively, giving up seven offensive rebounds to the Big Red. The second chances combined with a 61 shooting percentage, including eight of 15 from the 3-point line were too much for Wisconsin to overcome.

For Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes, the loss is a disappointing end to a great career for the seniors. Wisconsin wasn’t expected to be here when the season started, so it should be seen as a success. However, the Badgers played so well, it really seemed like Wisconsin would be a tough out.

Cornell is very dangerous in the Sweet 16 now. They shoot well, and they are experienced. Kentucky will need to pressure the shooters much better than Wisconsin. A huge difference for Kentucky is they have the weapons to score 80-90 points. Wisconsin had some good looks in the second half, but they failed to take advantage of them. Kentucky should shoot better than the Badgers, and Cornell will have the pressure to keep up the 3-point percentage.

Miracle? Wisconsin may not have the weapons.

Wisconsin has gone scoreless for over five minutes, and Cornell has a 19-0 advantage from points off of turnovers. At 78-54 with six minutes to go, the Badgers’ season looks like it may be over. They will need to extend the game by getting to the free throw-line, and they need to make quick shots. Wisconsin is not built for such a run, and Cornell hasn’t missed from the field. A miracle may be needed now.

Wisconsin running out of time; Cornell can't miss

Cornell is looking like the third double-digit seed to advance to the Sweet 16. Wisconsin cannot stop anything, and a technical foul by Bo Ryan sums up the day for the Badgers. The Big Red has a 64 shooting percentage, including seven of 12 from beyond the arc. They are hitting open shots and contested shots. It doesn’t look good for Wisconsin in a game reminding me of the Davidson loss two years ago.

Nankivil's fouls keeping him on bench.

Keaton Nankivil’s foul issues today are hurting the Badgers. Wisconsin needs their best players on the floor to stop the potent Cornell offense.

The Big Red has just opened up its biggest lead of the day at 61-46.

There is still plenty of time for the Badgers to get back in this game, but they have to go now.

Cornell is scoring at will; Badgers need to slow tempo

The second half started with promise, but an early turnover by Bohannon stopped a momentum shift. It is beginning to look like the shooting of Cornell is too much for the Badgers to contain. They catch and shoot, and they aren’t missing many. When the Badgers go on a run, Cornell takes advantage of any miss. The Badgers must find a way to slow down the game. Otherwise, they may need to score more points than they are used to needing.

Cornell dominating offensive glass; Wisconsin beating themselves

Wisconsin trails 43-31 at the half for three reasons.

1) Cornell’s shooting

They are shooting 59 percent from the field and hit four of eight from the 3-point line. They have also hit seven of eight from the free throw-line. Ryan Wittman has hit six of eight from the field for 14 points.

2) Offensive rebounding for opponent

Cornell has seven offensive rebounds, while Wisconsin has three defensive rebounds. Cornell has hit two of their 3-pointers from passes after a rebound on the offensive glass.

3) Turnover differential

The Badgers have six turnovers, and Cornell has scored 12 points after a turnover. On the other side, the Big Red has three turnovers. Wisconsin has no points to show for them.

Wisconsin will need to limit the turnovers and rebound better if they want a chance to comeback in the game. Cornell is hooting well, but they have made the Badgers pay with second chance points and points off of turnovers. If the Badgers can protect the ball and hold Cornell to one attempt per trip, they can put pressure on the Big Red to continue the high shooting percentage.

The Badgers will also need someone to join Jon Leuer. Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes started to make some shots, but they will have to do much better in the second half.

Rebounding troubles for the Badgers; Wittman lighting it up for Cornell

Cornell’s Ryan Wittman is killing the Badger’s from the outside. They will need to slow him down. Wittman has 12 points, including two long 3-pointers, to lead the Big Red. A reason for his success has been the battle on the offensive glass. Cornell has six offensive rebounds to the Badgers’ three defensive rebounds. Wittman gets open when the defense is collapsed. Wisconsin must rebound the ball better. They trail 32-25 with under four minutes to play.