9:08- Mack and Howard will play. Matt Howard's mustache is so red neck/hillbilly. I love it. Matt Howard can play on my team any day.
9:11- Coach K is a prick. Sorry Duke fans, you know it too.
9:19- Hayward looks really excited. Howard like a pedophile.
9:20- Nice hearty boos for Duke. Always puts a pep in your step.
9:21- Kyle Singler grows facial hair as poorly as Howard.
9:24- Here we go. The time is going to switch to minutes.
20- Butler wins the tip. Howard fouled 16 seconds in. Can we end the game after Howard sinks these?
19:18- Smith scores. I have to admit, I love Nolan Smith.
17:35- Smith around Howard for a lay up. It's 6-1. I'm extremely nervous. Butler misses another good look. Sigh.
16:42- Mack nails a 3. Lance Thomas has 2 fouls.
16:16- Veasley went up casual for a lay up on a break away, and Scheyer knocked it away. Should have called a foul anyway.
15:47- It's 6-4 Duke. Howard has missed at least 3 shots, but he's getting position. Butler looks feisty. And nervous. 0 Duke three attempts so far.
15:08- Hayward misses his first shot. Xavier player Jason Lover tweeted this "Ain't watchn this gme 2nite, FUCK Butler, first n las time I'll evr root 4 Duke, "Coack K, he's a fuckn magician" (in my Sean Miller voice)" Just another reason to hate X, their players are rooting for Duke.
14:01- Mack hits another 3. It's 8-7. Zoubek draws a charge on Howard. That could have been called a double foul. It was very awkward.
13:41- Singler draws a foul on Vanzant. The crowd viciously boos every foul. Singler makes both.
13- Hayward gets his first 2 on a follow up lay in. He's a stud. On the other end, Zoubek picks up a foul after it looks like he traveled. He made 1 of 2. He's got 3-3.
12:25- Butler takes the lead and brings the crowd to it's feet. Hahn hit a 3 for the first time since 2002.
11:47- Scheyer and Norad trade 2s before Singler rains home a 3. This is intense early.
11:05- Norad picks up number 2. Butler is fouling alot. 16-14 Duke
10- Both teams are making shots. Both like to play at a slow pace. The difference is going to be that Duke is really efficient and Butler is not. Let's see if they hang. Mack can, and ties it with a jumper. He's got 7.
8:55- The crowd is going nuts after every Butler rebound and score. Like that Veasley put back on the third shot. Howard just picked up number 2. He lasted 11:27. Not bad.
7:54- Butler leads 20-18. Only 5 more media timeouts to go!
7:33- Hahn looks like a high school freshman who sucks. I wonder what he actually looked like in high school. Duke just got a steal on a no call. The crowd was not happy.
6:22- Duke is getting every call when they drive to the rim. Scheyer makes 1 of 2.
5:52- Scheyer drills his first 3. Duke leads by 4 and their fans get loud. By fans, I mean preppy assholes.
5:27- I have a feeling this is where it starts to slip away from Butler
5:08- Singler takes about 4 or 5 steps for a lay up. Duke is getting every single call. They are up 6 as the student manager head coach calls timeout.
4:37- Jukes with a lay up that breaks up a 4 minute drought for Butler. Hayward grabs a rebound and drives on Singler for a turnaround j. He's smooth. 2 point game. Butler is so poised.
3:40- Jukes 3! 7-0 run. How can you not root for them? Unless you have no soul? Smith hits a runner for the Duke lead as I type that.
2:40- Duke timeout. They lead by 1, 28-27. Butler can't let this get to 8 before the half.
1:52- Media break after a tie up. Hayward grabbed a Mack miss, maybe traveled, and got tied up on his way up. I believe it's Butler's ball, but CBS was so pumped to throw to commercial, they didn't say. We need ESPN to take over. I bet this doesn't happen in the women's tournament.
1:52- I should point out that Hayward totally committed an offensive foul on the rebound as well after rewinding it. Hayward is getting NBA treatment. Kinda like everyone on Duke.
1:33- Jukes blew a dunk on a nice pass from Hahn, but makes the lay up. The dunk would have been better.
1- Smith hits a transition 3. Butler has only given up 3 of them.
0:19- Jukes answers with a 3. He's got 10. A season high. Unbelievable.
0:03- Smith is reached in on. Misses the front end of a 1-1. Last ditch shot misses.
HALFTIME: Duke 33 Butler 32
Halftime stats: Butler is 13-38 34.2%, 5-13 from 3, and 1-4 at the stripe. They have 22 rebounds, 10 offensive. 4 turnovers. Jukes has 10, Mack 8, Hayward 4-7, Nored 2, Veasley 2, Vanzant 2and Howard 1. Duke is 13-26 50%, 3-10 from deep, and 4-9 at the stripe. They have 17 rebounds, only 3 offensive. They also had 4 turnovers. Smith had 9, Singler 9-5, Scheyer 8-3 assists, Zoubek 5-5, and Thomas 2. That's right, their starters have all their points.
Vegas Watch on twitter, read his great blog and follow him, posts that Duke's win percentage is 72.
During the halftime interview on CBS, Da'Sean Butler said that he apologized to Bob Huggins as he was laying on the floor for not leading them to the national title. Wow. You can tell that they have a deep bond. It's hard to not feel for Da'Sean. He'll bounce back.
19:34- Hayward gets away with a foul, and makes 2 free throws for the lead on the other end. Singler hits a 3 to give the lead right back to Duke.
17:31- Howard scores his first field goal to tie it. It's getting physical. It was already, but even more so now. Howard just got 3.
16:12- There is shoving under the basket, pushing off, and everything. Mack drives for a lay up for the Butler lead. Their last 2 baskets have been lay ups.
15:30- Smith ties it on a tough runner. Love Smith.
15:14- 40-40, Duke ball as Norad loses it off his knee. This is fun.
The Freaks and Geeks theme song in the commercials make me want to see Kick Ass. That, and it's called Kick Ass.
14:40- Butler's d has locked down. Duke has 1 shot clock violation, and now they have 1 second on the shot clock. They get a bucket on a Scheyer goaltend on a Plumlee miss.
14:10- Matt Howard gets called for an over the back. That's 4. Is this danger time for Butler? Maybe.
13:30- Butler gets a 3 to take the lead. It caused a fist pump. Also, I've been popping gummy lifesavers that are shaped like Easter things. They are made of crack. I'll be sick in an hour. Jukes just got number 3. Off the inbound, Singler hits a step back 3. He's got 15. Timeout Duke.
Jon Scheyer's dad is really called Big Ed? Really?
12:37- Jukes gets to the line after a block on Zoubek. That's 3 on Zoubek, all this half. Jukes misses both. Another nickel dimer on Butler.
12:25- Zoubek with a lay up on an inbound. That's 3 big shots this half off inbounds for Duke.
12:02- Hayward is called on a bullshit charge because Scheyer was under the basket and undercut him.
11:21- Zoubek just picked up #4 going for a block after Hayward probably travelled. This is getting really good. 47-43 Duke.
11:21- Hayward makes both. Horrible foul shooting tonight. Butler is 5-10, Duke 4-9. Thomas scores inside. Other end, Hayward draws another foul. He's getting superstar calls.
10:27- Duke scores again off an inbound. 3 times on under the basket inbounds plays.
9:30- Mack cuts it in half with a tough jumper. He can get a shot wherever. Duke turnover. And a Duke foul.
8:30- Sequence where Hayward fouls Zoubek to no call, and drives looking for a call. Vanzant ends up on Singler and fouls him. Both teams have 6.
7:58- Scheyer gets a ridiculous and 1 that draws #4 on Jukes. 53-49 Duke. We saw definite Scheyer face on that one. Scheyer made it, Duke's up 5.
7:40- Howard gets fouled and makes both. Looks like Butler is going offense defense as Jukes re-entered.
7- Singler just blocked a Mack lay up. Duke has 7 blocks. They are up 5. Smith misses a runner. He's dribbling too much. Butler misses a lay up when Nored threw it too hard off glass.
5:42- Butler calls a timeout after Zoubek throws an offensive rebound into the backcourt. Duke is up 5.
5:07- Hayward is hammered on a lay up attempt by Thomas, after a Duke throwaway and a nice outlet. It wasn't intentional. If it is, the fix is in. It's Thomas' 4th. Hayward has hit 8 free throws this half. Duke leads by 1. Timeout Duke at 5:02.
4:47- Singler drains a long jumper. He's been ice. In the good way. Timeout Butler. Odd timeout there.
3:16- Duke is shooting 2. They lead by 3, 58-55. Butler needs to score on their next possession.
3:05- Another tie up. Butler hasn't gotten a field goal in 6 minutes. Smith made both foul shots.
2:32- Mack misses a runner from the right baseline. This possession is huge. Singler gets called for travelling. Butler needs points.
2:00- Howard gets a lay up with 1:40. It's 60-57
1:00- Mack missed a pull up 3, but Butler got the rebound. Howard lay up with 54.8!!!
049- Duke ball. 30 on the shot clock. Singler threw up an airball. Off Zoubek!!!!!! BUTLER BALL!!! 33 LEFT
033- Mack's pass deflected out of bounds.
13.6- Timeout Butler. I'm so fucking nervous and excited. Come on baby, make one. One time. Heyward couldn't get it in. Timeout again. That's their last.
13.6- Hayward had a great look, but it was long. Zoubek rebounds and is fouled. 3.6
3.6- Zoubek shooting 2. Makes the first. Zoubek intentionally misses the second. Hayward grabs the rebound, throws up a shot from half court, IT BANKED AND HIT OFF THE RIM!! Holy shit that was dead on. Hayward had 2 great looks. That would have been the greatest shot ever if it went in. Damn. Congrats Duke. More importantly, congratulations Butler. You are fucking champions.
