That’s all for the liveblog. Thanks for following along.
It’s easy to say everything in sports is THE GREATEST, but this truly was a greatly entertaining NCAA Tournament. Thanks to all who made it memorable. (Especially you, Kentucky).
As Duke cuts down the nets, let’s ask ourselves: If nets could scream, would we cut them?
Also, ask yourself if you’re prepared for 24-72 hours of talk about whether Mike Krzyzewski is the greatest college coach of all-time. You may want to avoid sports coverage for a while. (Except for here on The Guardian, of course!)
We’re just minutes from “One Shining Moment.” This is the whole reason we six months of college basketball, right?
I wrote in my preview of today’s game on The Guardian that this Duke team is hard to dislike. I’m sad to admit that I’m sticking by that. The 2014-2015 Duke Blue Devils are not hateable.
Ugh. I hate myself now.
So Wisconsin could beat a team led by Kentucky freshmen, but not a team led by Duke freshmen.
I feel like we’ve learned so much.
Does it get more pathetic than this? I submit that it does not.
— SportsPickle (@sportspickle) April 7, 2015
FINAL: Duke 68, Wisconsin 63
Mike Krzyzewski moves to 5-4 all-time in national title games. Turns out he’s an okay coach, after all.
Duke 68, Wisconsin 63 / 14.9 left
After Tyus Jones hit two free throws, Wisconsin had an awful offensive possession, ran down a ton of clock and then threw up an airball from the top of the key.
Prepare for another Duke title.
Wisconsin is now starting to foul with 34.9 seconds left, trailing by three. It’s not an intentional foul, though, because ... basketball rules makes zero sense.
After being down 66-58 with 1:15 left, Wisconsin now has it to 66-63 with 47 seconds left. I AM ENTERTAINED.
Duke 66, Wisconsin 61 / 1:05 left
Tyus Jones and Kaminsky trade threes. Duke will happily do that for the final 65 seconds that remain in this game.
The refs are huddling to see who knocked a loose ball out of bounds. They may also be checking their Twitter timelines. No way to know for sure.
Duke 63, Wisconsin 58 / 2 minutes left
Back-to-back buckets for Okafor after sitting out for six minutes. He was out for so long, he apparently forgot he was having a bad game.
Three minutes left. Duke up 61-58. Wisconsin needs to rely on Frank the Tank fire from here on out.
Freshman are the new market inefficiency.
And this kid is a freshman. RT @byDavidGardner: Tyus Stones https://t.co/vvQ9GpAivp
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 7, 2015
Duke 59, Wisconsin 58 / 4:06 left
After back-to-back buckets by Kaminsky, Tyus Jones hit a three to give Duke its first lead in ... a long time.
By the way, Grayson Allen’s bio page says he is a LeBron James fan. (In case you were looking for extra fuel to hate him.)
We’re tied at 56 with less than 5 minutes left. Yes, this will do nicely. Thank you, sports.
We have a tie! Tyus Jones hits a jumper to knot it at 54. 6:41 left. The “One Shining Moment” editors are going to be under the gun.
Wisconsin 54, Duke 52 / 7:29 left
Okafor and Dekker are both having awful games. What do you say we have Kaminsky and Grayson Allen play 1-on-1 for the whole thing?
Updated
Duke bro is a Flexing major.
DUKE BRO IS JACKED pic.twitter.com/glrTLR3VCE
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) April 7, 2015
Refs just called Wisconsin’s Dukan for a foul on Winslow. Terrible call gives Winslow two free throws, trailing 54-50.
Let the Duke/ref conspiracies BEGIN!!!
Updated
Wisconsin 51, Duke 50 / 10:42 left
Duke has the momentum. There hasn’t been a lead change in a while, though, so Jim Nantz may not know what to talk about.
Grayson Allen has scored the last 8 points for Duke. Grayson Allen sounds like the name of trust fund son of an attorney. It’s a very Duke name.
Wisconsin 51, Duke 45 / 11:43 left
Grayson Allen is keeping Duke in the game. If he doesn’t go pro, he will enjoy a long college career of being despised by adults all across the country.
Wisconsin 48, Duke 39 / 13:26 left
Krzyzewski spends another timeout after a Winslow foul (his third) and a Kaminsky bucket. This is Duke’s biggest deficit of the NCAA Tournament.
Stop smiling. Don’t be rude.
Updated
Wisconsin 46, Duke 39 / 13:55 left
Koenig hits another three to give Wisconsin its biggest lead.
And Dekker still hasn’t hit a three in the game. Very bad for Duke. (Good for America?)
Updated
WHAT A COMEBACK BY KENTUCKY!
Oops: The halftime scoreboard seemed to think Wisconsin is playing Kentucky again http://t.co/dQepVjKZE0 pic.twitter.com/2bjUKrHsdL
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 7, 2015
A little context, Rovell. That game got such high ratings because of the Larry Bird sex appeal.
The most watched NCAA Final in the last 40 years was Michigan State vs Indiana State (35.1 million viewers) pic.twitter.com/qql5T9uMAD
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 7, 2015
Maybe Kaminsky can get us numbers close to that.
Wisconsin 42, Duke 39 / 15:46 left
Okafor now has three fouls. Everything is Breaking Bad-ger.
(I’m so very sorry.)
Mmmmmmm. The yellow Teletubbie is Wisconsin cheese-flavored.
@sportspickle WISCONSIN TELETUBBIES https://t.co/O3gtB5iaQn
— Ben Celestino (@bencelestino) April 7, 2015
Okafor just missed an easy layup and is scoreless since 10:30 left in the first half. He’s definitely playing like someone who would fit in well with the Knicks or Sixers.
Wisconsin 38, Duke 33 / 18:32 left
Coach K calls a timeout after Dekker scores off a Duke turnover. The Blue Devils look sloppy coming out of the half. How is that possible? They just were coached up by the great Mike Krzyzewski for 15 minutes.
Pick up your game, Blue Devils. There’s a #legacy on the line.
The second half is underway. Wisconsin starts with the ball and ... takes a 34-31 lead on a corner three by Koenig.
While we’re still killing time during the half, watch Sam Dekker win his HS state championship here.
I guess this means J.J. Watt is pretty close to becoming a huge Texas Longhorns basketball fan.
2 semesters at Butte 3 semesters at Cal 10 years a Wisconsin resident. I'll pull for any team I want. But I don't wear red.
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) March 29, 2015
Congratulations to Frank Kaminsky on winning the Naismith Award. Well deserved.
By the way, it always amazes me that James Naismith had a career coaching record of 55-60. How can you stink at a sport you invented? If you’re losing a bunch, just be like: “Hey, uh ... so, yeah. I forgot to tell you about some other rules. Missed shots count for ... 10 points. Yeah.”
Duke shot 50% from the floor in the first half. Wisconsin only shot 38%. Yet the game is tied. I’m not sure what that means.
Yes, I’ll be here all night with equally great analysis. You’re welcome.
Updated
Grant Hill said Duke has a big advantage in the second half because Okafor has been sitting with two fouls and will be “rested.” Methinks Grant Hill forgets what it’s like to be 18-22. Having energy isn’t really going to be a problem for anyone on the court.
At the half: Wisconsin 31, Duke 31
Dekker through up an off-balance three at the buzzer and we have exactly what we thought we did: a very good, very even game.
If you don’t value my opinion on that -- and I totally get that -- check the score again. See? Even.
Wisconsin 31, Duke 29 / 1:43 left in the half.
There have been 13 lead changes. Jim Nantz tells us every time there has been a lead change. If this game stay close, Jim Nantz may have to stop counting.
Nantz: “There have been 58 lead changes!”
Raftery: “We get it, Nantz. It’s a close game. Shut up about it.”
Nice handoff by Okafor to Kaminsky here. Have to appreciate the unselfish play.
Frank Kaminsky, basketball thief. https://t.co/C9hiVeI5g4
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) April 7, 2015
Wisconsin 28, Duke 27 / 3:04 left in the half
Here’s J.J. Watt and Caroline Wozniacki. Rory McIlroy is going to get the crap kicked out of him. Run, Rory. Run.
JJ Watt's neighbor flirting with Caroline Wozniacki and JJ stuck in the middle pic.twitter.com/gmKwlJkbxI
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) April 7, 2015
Updated
Okafor and Winslow both now have 2 foul for Duke. Maybe they’ll both be one-and-done-by-fouling-out players.
Wisconsin 24, Duke 23 / 4:47 left in the half
The Badgers are on a run - 7 unanswered - capped by Kaminsky making and and-1. When Kaminsky finished his play, CBS showed a bar in Madison with tons of people drinking.
I think we’re supposed to think this is different than every night in Madison.
Justise Winslow has 2 fouls with close to 70% of the game left. Take a shot if someone calls these fouls “freshman mistakes.”
@DJGalloEtc Any chase of including some scores with your updates?
— Victory in Melbourne (@victoryinmelb) April 7, 2015
I’ll consider it.
(Duke is up 21-17 with 7:14 left in the first half.)
Duke has its biggest lead of the game, 21-16, with a little over 8 minutes left in the half.
Wisconsin should probably keep an eye on Duje Dukan. If anyone is a Duke plant tasked with defeating Wisconsin from the inside, it’s the player named Dukan.
Speaking of refs ... Justise Winslow just got called for a block on Dekker. Don’t these refs know that, per College Basketball rules, Duke only draws charges?
Duke 19, Wisconsin 16 / 9:43 left in the first half
Both teams are playing well. What are we going to be able to complain about?
Ooh! Ooh! Probably the refs soon.
Because I know there’s nothing more popular than videos of people getting poked in the eye. I know it helps me sleep at night.
Contacts flyin' https://t.co/IoPzkU6s9b
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) April 7, 2015
Duke 13, Wisconsin 12 / 11:38 left in the 1st
We’re in commercial. By the way, Bill Raftery called Duke’s Grayson Allen “athletic.” This is why Raftery is an all-time great. Next he’ll call a black player “scrappy” and the world will end.
I was worried I might die without seeing a left-handed hook shot by a Plumlee. But thankfully that brick by the latest Duke Plumlee with Duke trailing 8-6 will let me die a happy man.
Regardless of who wins this game, let us all resolve to participate in more hashtags that brands ask us to participate in order to get themselves free publicity.
Why? Because I’m #upforwhatever.
The announcers keep talking about how the uptempo pace favors Wisconsin. Yet the Badgers are winning four minutes into the game.
EDIT: Well ... they were.
Updated
Kaminsky hits a long three and then takes a charge. HEY! Stop stealing Duke’s game, thief!
A humble request: Let’s just watch this as a college basketball game and not spend the entire game debating which players will make better pros. I know. I’m asking you to just enjoy a sport and not argue it into misery, but please just humor me. Thanks.
Updated
“HERE WE GO, BABY!”
Then CBS immediately cuts to commercial.
God bless capitalism.
The Badgers beat Washington State in the 1941 final, 39-34, and shot 23% from the floor in the win. TWENTY-THREE PERCENT! The fact that the sport of basketball continued existing after that game is amazing.
Hey, you can still sit miles away from a basketball game inside a football stadium for as low as $516 a ticket! What a deal!
Or, you could buy a 60-inch TV with that money and sit “courtside.” Tough call.
Grant Hill just called the Final Four the most memorable moment of his basketball career.
How quickly he forgets the 29 games he played with the Clippers in 2012-13.
Fun Fact: 9 of the last 10 national champions have had blue in their uniforms.
This bodes well for Duke, if you’re a moron who thinks that stat up there means something.
Zac Brown Band is CBS’s pick for pregame music. Not exactly your typically choice for basketball.
I’m pretty sure Jim Nantz is in charge of their music selection.
Scheduling problems: Besides baseball, the NCAA Championship Game is overlapping with the season finale of "Better Call Saul." @DJGalloEtc
— Hunter Felt (@HunterFelt) April 7, 2015
You’d think the NCAA would cater more to fellow ethically-challenged lawyers.
Charles Barkley is picking Duke. Kenny Smith is picking Wisconsin. Clark Kellogg is picking Wisconsin. All of the experts had the whole Tournament wrong, so take their dart-throwing -- and mine -- for what it is.
If they’re as accurate as they were before, Kentucky could win tonight.
Remember: the game tips at 9:18 p.m. ET.
Not 9:16 or 9:17 or 9:19.
Because those are just stupid times to start an event.
What a great moment for Indiana basketball tonight. Two teams from out of state playing basketball in an enormous football stadium.
The only way this gets worse is if someone produces a birth certificate proving Larry Bird was born in North Carolina.
The ESPN pregame show has since added another Duke player. Good stuff.
Only 60% Duke players. Not biased! pic.twitter.com/Lm9db5nmVm
— SportsPickle (@sportspickle) April 7, 2015
Just want to congratulate the marketing geniuses at MLB for again choosing to have Opening Day on the same day as the NCAA final. What a great way to get your sport’s big day as the second story in all of sports media!*
*assuming some NFL news doesn’t break and push Opening Day to third
Rece Davis just asked the ESPN panel how our perspective of Coach K will change tonight if he falls to 4-5 in national title games.
The two players on the panel are Jay Bilas and Jay Williams.
Welcome to the liveblog of the NCAA Tournament final between Wisconsin and Duke. Thankfully, the couch fires in Kentucky have burned out enough that we can see our TV and computer screens. A few hours ago it was still too smoky.
DJ will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a quick preview of tonight’s game:
This wasn’t supposed to be the NCAA final. Once the bracket came out four Sundays ago, we knew Wisconsin and Duke were not going to meet in the Tournament. Their 8 December match-up, won by Duke, 80-70, would not have a rematch. The NCAA Tournament title game was going to be Kentucky and Duke. Or Kentucky and Villanova. Or Kentucky and Gonzaga or Kentucky and someone, it didn’t really matter who. All we knew was that some doomed team from the right side of the bracket was going to reach the championship game and then have their hopes and dreams destroyed before millions on national TV by the NBA-caliber Wildcats.
It was written.
Then Wisconsin went and trashed the whole script. Instead of the title-game plot that was anticipated for months, and that I was going to write about in this very space – “How can Team X try to wreck Kentucky’s perfect season?” – we’ve got a Wildcat-free final with completely unexpected storylines. Here they are.
Wisconsin’s quest to complete the journey
The USA hockey team’s victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Lake Placid semi-finals would only be remembered as a nice upset by the small community of Olympic hockey diehards if Herb Brooks’ team didn’t go on to beat Finland in the gold medal game. There would be no “Miracle” movie, Mike Eruzione wouldn’t still be making a living off the game 35 years later, and Al Michaels’ iconic call might be: “Do you believe in anticlimaxes?!” Duke are Wisconsin’s Finland. (No offense intended to the good people of Finland by comparing them to Duke). As exciting as the win over 38-0 Kentucky was, this Badgers team needs to cut down the nets in Indianapolis to really be remembered in history outside of Wisconsin. A championship – which would be Wisconsin’s second, but first since 1941 – is also necessary to put Bo Ryan’s program on the same level with the Dukes, Kentuckys, North Carolinas and Michigan States in the national mindset. If Wisconsin lose, it will just reinforce their status as second tier.
By the way: that 1941 championship? The Badgers beat Washington State in the title game by a score of 39-34 and shot 23% from the floor. Twenty-three percent. So maybe let’s all stop pretending this is a down era in college basketball.
