MATT JONES
Of All the Words of Mice and Men, the Cruelest Are 'It Might Have Been'
As Gordon Hayward's desperation halfcourt shot banked just a little too hard off the backboard, Kurt Vonnegut's famous phrase from "Cats Cradle" came into my mind. Right now all over the country, people are praising Coach K and his Duke Blue Devils for their fourth title, putting the coach in rarified air amongst his peers and moving Duke past Kansas into sole possesion of fourth all-time in NCAA titles. But I don't care about that. Let the other writers celebrate the winner and crown Coach K the mightiest to ever walk the floor.
I will instead focus on the losers and how close they were to unmatched glory. Think for just a second what would have happened if Hayward hit his shot. It would have set in motion a celebration that would have likely never been topped in NCAA Tournament history. 72,000 in attendance would have joined every American who didnt have a personal connection to Duke University in an unadulterated glee ride celebrating the utlimate victory for the little guy. A small private school in Indiana, filled with players who were not recruited by the big boys and were never considered able to make it this far, had found a perfect ride to the Championship game and in the process, taken down the evil empire of college basketball. It is such a perfect story that it simply does not seem real. But the joy that would have emoted from Lucas Oil stadium would have been real and might have been unsurpassed in sports since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
Disagree? Think of a better example of an entire country rallying around a story and celebrating together. I can't think of one. In our territorial notion of sports, we celebrate victories over other areas of the country and loyalties are often split based on where you are. We dont do much in the way of nationalism either and because the main sport in which the world competes against each other (soccer) isn't our bag, we dont get off on beating other countries very often. But this would have been the force of a collective nation, minus a few random Dukies, celebrating at the same time. How great would that have been?
And that shot! Had Hayward bankd that shot in, it would have immediately taken its place as the greatest shot in the history of college basketball. Lorenzon Charles, Christian Laettner, Keith Smart and Michael Jordan would have had to scoot over and make room. A new king of the mountain would have taken its place. The circumstances (as the buzzer sounded, from half court, the underdog making it to beat mighty Duke) would have immediately catapulted it into discussion as the GREATEST play in history for any sport. It would have been on commercials from now into eternity and there would never be a moment when its iconic image would have left the collective sports mind.
And the individuals involved. It goes without saying that Gordon Hayward's life would have never been the same. He would become a name that was remembered for generations and it is not an exaggeration to say that his life would have changed forever. In addition to becoming a hero on Butler's campus for eternity, he would also have become a superstar in the nation as a whole. He would have owned the Today Show, David Letterman and the White House and from now until the day he died, he would have been remembered as the guy who hit the greatest shot ever.
And he isnt the only one. Matt Howard would have been a hero as well, with his points down the stretch and a hard pick on the last play that would have lived forever. His wispy moustache would have reached cult status and we would have seen middle school kids growing similar facial hair to be like Matt. Coach Brad Stevens would have been more than just the Coach who looked young and took his team on a magical ride. He would have been a national champion and on the path to be the greatest young coach in the nation. His future is bright regardless, but a 33 year old coach who wins a national championship at Butler on the greatest shot in history would have had the world as his oyster.
Alas, none of this happened. The shot was off just slightly. Duke won and while college basketball fans will remember Butler, it will be as a part of something great, not something iconic and legendary. Butler and its players have nothing to hang their heads about. They put together a magical run and were part of a great championship game. They will forever be able to look back and remember being part of something special and unique. But that doesnt mean that there won't be moments where Vonnegut's words ring true. When it comes to a championship, it might have been.
We're just 20 minutes away from crowning the 2010 national champion and, to the surprise of many, the Horizon League representatives are close enough to taste the NCAA approved beverage locker shower, entering the half down 33-32.
When I look at this 2010 NCAA Tournament Championship, a battle between tourney juggernaut Duke and plucky cinderella Butler, being played only miles from Hinkle Fieldhouse and featuring an underdog group of Indiana basketball players in an unbelievable but inspiring run to the trophy game, I can only think of one memorable film from the eighties to which I can compare the storyline of this exciting matchup.
If you're a West Virginia fan, things really couldn't have gone much worse for you on Saturday night. Your team got beaten on the boards and their usually stout defense suddenly disappeared, allowing Duke to shoot 53% from the field and their "Big 3" of Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith to combine for 63 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds. And, worst of all, your All-American senior Da'Sean Butler put up one of the worst stat lines you could have hoped for: 10 points, three rebounds and one awful knee injury.
Tom Izzo confounded by Butler. Izzo is one of the most resourceful, quick-thinking coaches in NCAA history, a virtual Napoleon of X's and O's. Will he figure out a Butler team that has shifted thus far to make adjustments to beat some of the best teams in the country? This Spartan team hinges on Izzo's mind for unraveling a team's mysteries -- but if Butler can keep switching things up and disallow Izzo to figure out a game plan, the Bulldogs could leave Michigan State confused and spinning its wheels.
Here we are, just hours away from the Final Four. We have seen 61 teams fall off the path to the championship and only four remain. No, Kansas is not one of them. No, Kentucky lost too. Yeah, and Syracuse. It has been crazy. Anyway, here are 10 questions that are on everyone's minds as the 2010 NCAA Tournament winds down...
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