Duke Basketball: Once Again, Durham Is the College Hoops Capital of the World

Dukies around the world, Cameron Crazies across the continents...rejoice and revel.

Your little hometown—or second hometown for a good deal of y'all—in North Carolina that we Americans call Durham reclaimed its status as the college basketball capital of the world, if not the universe, at a football stadium located a few miles from dinky little Hinkle Fieldhouse.

What, did you really think the Butler Bullunderdogs were going to pull off a Vegas Shark (a.k.a. Jerry Tarkanian) and end the big six super-conferences' super-grip on the NCAA tournament? If so, may I introduce to you naivetes a huge taste of reality.

(Note: There is no such thing as a big six super-conference; that is my collective reference to the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac-10, and SEC as a whole.)

Duke's 2009-2010 main triple S-threat of Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler made sure that the score of dominance by the big six extended for another year, 61-59 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Tuesday night.

Well it was not just the triple S-threat. The Blue Devil defense and tenacity on the boards are a couple other reasons why they are Division I Men's Basketball National Champions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

I extend my cheers to Nolan Smith for joining the elite father-son fraternity of national champions. You see, Smith is the son of Derek Smith, who played for Louisville's 1980 title-winning team. A score and a half is a long time coming, but bloodlines are bloodlines, and Nolan's 13 points proved that he has his father's touch.

Singler contributed 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting including three from downtown, while Scheyer scored 15 points in the victory.

Home-court advantage be damned! Literally! There is no such thing when you are the Duke Blue Devils unless you are talking about Cameron Indoor Stadium, but Lucas Oil Stadium is more than seven times the capacity (approximately 70,000 to 9,314).

With 3.6 seconds to go, and Butler maintaining possession, a missed shot by Gordon Hayward combined with a Brian Zoubek rebound gave Zoubek the opportunity to ice the game. He only needed to make one shot. Got the first, no need to make the second.

Zoubek finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Any hope for the Brad Stevens' little puppies to have the last bite were extinguished as Hayward's last gasp from half court missed badly, effectively putting the Butler Bulldogs to sleep.

Despite finishing with 12 points and eight boards, those are two missed shots that he will want back for the rest of his life. And with good reason.

Thanks to Hayward's last-second plight and to the Duke Blue Devils being—who else—the Duke Blue Devils, the city of Durham, North Carolina is the college basketball capital of the world, once again.

Break out the whip, dear old Duke. Let's party.