2010 Final Four Set: Michigan State Spartans, Duke Blue Devils Win Close Battles

With the way this NCAA Tournament has gone, the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils shouldn’t have been allowed to reach the Final Four.

This year, it should have been a mid-major (Butler), a No. 5 seed (Michigan State), a No. 2 seed I presumed overrated yet picked to reach this juncture (West Virginia), and a No. 3 seed (Baylor) that has some of the best talent in college basketball.

There have been upsets galore in the tournament, making it one of the most exciting in history, but Baylor couldn’t make it one more.

It would have only been an upset according to the seedings. Baylor is longer, more versatile, more athletic, and at this stage, a smart pick to win it all, but they could not get past Duke, which was led by the trio of Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler.

The game was close throughout, with the Bears' guard duo of Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn making an impact early, but the shots—especially those close in—wouldn’t fall when it mattered for the Bears.

It was a back and forth battle throughout, but Baylor fell flat late. Ekpe Udoh, their terrific forward whose draft status skyrocketed with his performance in the tournament, hit a jumper with three minutes and 50 seconds remaining to give the Bears a 61-60 lead, adequately answering a three-pointer by Duke’s Smith.

Udoh scored Baylor’s next five points as well. The problem was, that spanned the next three-plus minutes.

While their offense suffered in large part to the Blue Devils' containment of Carter and Dunn, three-pointers by Smith and Scheyer and a conventional three-point play by Lance Thomas helped increase the favorite’s lead to eight with a minute and 20 seconds left.

That and Duke’s solid free-throw shooting that ensued spelled defeat for the Bears, ending their very impressive run in a wacky and unexpected tournament. I definitely thought Baylor would win this, so I was extremely saddened they fell short.

First, despite rooting for Singler—who is an Oregon boy from South Medford that I watched when he was in high school—I have come to despise Duke. They are suspiciously white, with only three black players on their roster, and there are just other aspects that rub me the wrong way. I pull for them against North Carolina because my hate is deeper for the Tar Heels (I have Tyler Hansbrough to thank for that).

Baylor was longer with more athleticism and better shooters, but their offense was too loose. At times they reminded me of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors with so many quick-triggered, ill-advised shots. What lost them the game was their cold shooting; what won the game for Duke was their hot shooting. It was that simple.

Duke’s coach Mike Krzyzewski has been tremendous in his tenure with the team, but Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, whom the Oregon Ducks are unrealistically trying to court, has been better. His Spartans reached the Final Four last year and did so again this season, beating the Tennessee Volunteers in the first game of the day by one point.

Down by one with 13 seconds remaining, Volunteers guard Scotty Hopson drove into the lane and drew a foul, sending the sophomore to the free-throw line with a chance to grab the lead. Hopson, a dreadful free-throw shooter at 59 percent, pumped his fist after the foul, confident he could make both and give Tennessee, which was making its first Elite Eight appearance, the lead.

He made the first, assuring a tie, but clanged the second. Korie Lucious, the Spartans' excellent guard who has filled in admirably for the injured Kalin Lucas, snatched the rebound, dribbled upcourt, and frantically found Draymond Green beyond the three-point line.

Green, a 6′6″ center with some meat on his bones, handled the ball beautifully, possessing the nimble footwork and poise to set up the final play. From the three-point line, he fired a pass inside to Raymar Morgan, a 6′8″ senior forward, who turned to the hoop and was hacked with two seconds left.

Like Hopson, he split a pair, but the free throw proved to be the difference, as J.P. Prince, who had a heckuva game, hoisted a heave that fell helplessly short. With that, Tennessee’s dream died and the Spartans continued to live.

But the Volunteers shouldn’t feel too disappointed, though their exit was earlier than they expected. The program had never reached the Elite Eight before.

This program was forced to dismiss four players, including Tyler Smith—who was perhaps their best—due to disciplinary reasons midway through the season. They persevered and somehow, backed by some underclassmen and a few wily and very talented veterans—mainly Prince and forward Wayne Chism—reached the semifinals, busting many brackets along the way.

Tennessee busted mine, as did Duke. But my tattered bracket aside, I expect the Final Four will be one to forget. Michigan State, Duke, Butler, and West Virginia: Which of these will take home the title? I’m hoping neither of the two I profiled in this article, riding the Butler bandwagon instead. Time will tell if another prediction of mine fails.