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Will the Clock Strike Midnight??
by Jason WeisbeckerCinderella has one more dance to go…
Will the slipper fit and will the Butler Bulldogs be able to cap off their improbable run tonight? Or will the Duke Blue Devils be just too much for Cinderella to handle?
As much as it pains me to say, I am going to have to go with the latter.. Duke had the easiest road to the finals of any #1 seed and they seem to have plenty left in the tank to finish off Butler and once again be on top of the college basketball world.
I would like nothing more than to see the Bulldogs pull off their biggest upset of the season, but it does not seem logical. The way that Duke shot the ball in their last game (dismantling West Virginia), they look like they are on a mission.
However, this is where the Bulldogs thrive. Their backs are up against the wall and once again they are asked to prove themselves. They could do it, but it will take flawless basketball. They have to rebound the heck out of the basketball, have little to know turnovers and utilize the 3-point shot. If they do all of these and the stars align, then the Butler Bulldogs will make history once again and be crowned college basketball National Champions.
My Prediction: The game is within 5 points at halftime, but Duke wins by 11.
Now excuse me, I have to go watch another riveting Tiger Woods press conference. When will this crap end?
And that’s my two cents….
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14 Responses to “Will the Clock Strike Midnight??”
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I keep hearing that Duke had the easiest road and Duke was the worst No. 1 seed. Well that weak No. 1 seed turned out to be the best in the field. And don’t tell me about a weak road. The only reason people considered the other groups tough is because they way overrated the Big Least.
Duke gets back where they belong tonight!
Wow…That whining sounds a lot like the whining that comes out of Coach K’s mouth to the refs lol…If you look at the teams they had to play, it was the weakest road. The Big 12 was the best conference all year long (and that’s coming from a huge ACC fan)..I do think that the Big East is very good, but overrated as well…I would have loved to see Duke play someone like Kansas, Kentucky, Kansas State or even Butler earlier in the tournament etc..If Kansas had that draw, they would have blazed through it as well..Bottom line, even if Duke wins tonight, that does not prove that they were the best team all year long…but the best for 3 weeks and unfortunately, that’s all that it takes…
Duke won the ACC title, ACC Tournament and now will have a National title. That sounds like a true champion to me.
That title will look good with coach K’s Gold Medal!
This should be a good game tonight, but you’re right if Duke’s Big 3 play the way they did against WVU it Butler has no shot. Shooting 33 percent against Duke won’t get it done either. They need to put up at least 70 to have a shot.
I am not doubting that they will win..that was what the article was about lol..the point is, with the easy road that they had, it is definately expected. It’s not there fault that they had an easy bracket, you can only play the teams that are put in front of you..but they have to take care of business when they get easier teams..For your sake and other Dukes fans, I hope Butler dosen’t win because you’ll never hear the end of it..and deservedly so lol… Eric I agree with you 100% and I can’t wait to watch..
I think that David just doesn’t have the stone to bring down Goliath. I really would like to see Butler upset Duke but like it was said above, they will need to shoot at least 50% from the field. Their defense throughout the tournament has been outstanding, holding every team to less then 60 points. If Butler is to have any chance, Matt Howard has to be able to play. It seems as if a different player has come up big each game for the Bulldogs but Duke has to much firepower and has the experience. In a big game like this, having an experienced coach, playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country, and other intangibles is what is going to make it a Duke game. One of the advantages Butler does have and must exploit is the outside shooting ability of their post players. They need them to get out from under the hoop and start making outside shots so that they can get Duke away from the basket.
In my mind the only way that Butler will be able to succeed is if they make it into a three point contest and knock them down. Since they will always have 3 or 4, possibly 5, guys on the floor who can knock one down at any time Duke is going to have to get out and guard them. When you have that, pump fakes will be an advantage and possibly, making sure the big men for duke are out from under the basket, cuts to the hoop. Butler’s bigs need to stay out of foul trouble, something they did not do against Michigan State. I don’t like Duke and would love to see Butler win, but I don’t think they have the Jimmy Chitwood to do it. Duke wins 74-60.
Nice breakdown John. If Butler hits enough 3’s they can stay close, but even more importantly they must limit the open 3’s from Duke. The Blue Devils picked WVU apart. They went inside when they wanted to and got open looks from the outside when they wanted to. If that happens again, the Devils will be back on the top of the mountain again.
Eric, I totally agree with that. Butler though has been playing great defense but they are just going to have to get control of the game early. If Duke gets control and gets the game to be played their way, Butler will be out of the game within a few minutes in the first half. Here is something no one here has mentioned yet and I don’t know how much it will influence anything. Butler is playing a home game in front of a hometown crowd. I’m not sure and am kind of doubting it will do anything, but it is just something to think about.
Just wait until tonight when im setting picks like a Mofo and we roll Butler.
The home crowd will be big for Butler only if they can start out strong. If they do, Duke might get a little rattled. The key for Butler is keeping it close and avoiding those runs that Duke makes.
Told Ya
Big Z…what exactly did you tell us??? I said everything in the 1st blog lol…I predicted Duke would win and that happened.. So basically you said nothing new. It was a great game and Duke was able to squeek it out. It’s a shame Mr. Zoubeks basketball career is over lol, because there is no way that a 7′1 guy who plays like he’s 6′7 will make it in the NBA.. I don’t think that man could actually set a screen without moving…Oh by the way..did you all see the screen that Howard set on one of the Duke players at the end of the game..Wow, I was hoping the shot would go in because I am sure he would have still been laying on the ground (apparently hurt lol)..but once it rimmed out, he was magically ok..I think it was Singler…what ashame lol..
A great Defensive game that Duke won. With a little help from the Whistelblowers. Butler did themselves proud. As Eric knows I am a big Duke fan. I was realy glad it was a great basketball game.
Come On. Ppl gotta stop blaming the refs every time duke wins. I think in the second half Duke had waaaaay less FTs then Butler.
oh yea…..HOW BOUT THEM DUKIEEEEEEES