NCAA Final Four: Why the 2011 Championship Will Be Remembered For Years To Come

The story lacked a climax and the perfect ending. It needed something more.

Something more than a dismal 12-64 from the field, and a mere 41 points in their second consecutive National Championship Game.

What the story needed was a Butler Bulldogs victory.

But instead, the nation witnessed a woeful performance by both the Connecticut Huskies and Butler. 53 points, the points scored by the National Champion Huskies, was the lowest in a National Championship Game since the time of George Mikan.

This game, with its few highlights and abundance of "bricks," will be remembered not necessarily for the players that participated, but for the coaches that led them.

In UConn's Jim Calhoun, there was the steady veteran at 68 years young. He looked upon his team as one of his favorites during his two-and-a-half decade tenure in Storrs. His northeastern accent and in-game adjustments are well known trademarks of Calhoun, as he roamed the sidelines of Reliant Stadium.

On the opposing bench sat a man half Calhoun's age. At 34, Brad Stevens' four-year head coaching career at Butler has already bore back-to-back National Championship Game appearances. His engaging personality and small-town charm has captured the nation during his team's two-year "Cinderella story."

But like the previous season, Calhoun's Huskies, like Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils, defeated the young Stevens' Bulldogs.

Although Brad Stevens and Butler have left both of its consecutive Final Fours empty-handed, the rest of college basketball did not.

Jim Calhoun may have put it best when he said in an interview with ESPN, "Well, I admire what [Brad Stevens] has done basketball-wise. But what I admire more is that if he is the future of college coaching, we are in great shape."

As Jim Calhoun walked over to Brad Stevens to shake his hand after the game, more was passed on than just a "great game" or "congratulations." It was a passing from one coaching generation to the next.

This year's title game and NCAA Tournament, coupled with last year's, may be looked back upon as a change in the landscape of college coaching. With young, energetic coaches like VCU's Shaka Smart, Arizona's Sean Miller and Marquette's Buzz Williams making an impact on the national stage, change is unavoidable.

The 2011 NCAA Championship marked Jim Calhoun's third title, placing him among the greatest coaches in NCAA Basketball history. It may be remember for Connecticut's victory, but also as a preview of the next generation of college hoops.

As for Brad Stevens and his Butler Bulldogs, their story may not have ended just yet; an "ending" may still be waiting on the horizon.