Coach K: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

After Duke beat Butler in the national championship game, Coach Mike Krzyzewski was finally relieved of the immense (unjustified) pressure that had been on his shoulders all season. I will put it like this, you do not want to be the head coach at Duke if you are coming off four straight home losses to your archrival North Carolina and five straight early tournament exits. So much pressure, in fact, that after Duke beat Baylor in the Elite Eight, Coach K was so relieved to have made it back to the final four and finally have his critics off his back that he completely forgot to share the moment with his wife. An usher had to yell at him, “Hey Coach, you forgot your wife!” Krzyzewski quickly apologized to his wife telling her how crazy it was out there. The good news for Coach K is that he only needed to apologize to his wife, not duke fans. Having lead Duke to yet another national championship, Coach K cemented a place for himself among the greatest coaches of all time and also satisfied disgruntled fans.

With his fourth national championship win two nights ago, Coach K tied Adolf Rupp for the second most national championship wins among men’s college basketball coaches (only John Wooden has won more titles, winning 10 at UCLA from 1964-1975). Krzyzewski’s 11 Final Four appearances also tie him for second most Final Four appearances among all coaches. Furthermore, he holds the NCAA tournament record for highest winning percentage (78%). Not only is he first in wins in tourney history with 77 victories, but Coach K is also the first coach to win national championships in three consecutive decades. Under his reign, Duke has played more games ranked as the number 1 team (190) than it has as an unranked team (144). Averaging more than 25 wins a season, Coach K is expected to surpass Bob Knight as the all time winningest college basketball coach in the next season or two. Coach K is only 34 wins shy of Knight—his own former coach at Army—with a grand total of 868 victories. Duke fans sending him hate mail before this season seem to have forgotten all of these accolades and just how good Krzyzewski is. I mean, I can’t think of a coach I would rather have head my team. If Coach K was hated on so much with his past success, I can’t even imagine what Rick Barnes of the Texas Longhorns is going through right now. He is the primary reason that the Longhorns had what I consider their most disappointing basketball season ever. Then again, most coaches at high levels understand that they are only as good as their last season.

Coach K has clearly done some impressive coaching in the past, but I don’t think anything compares to what he did this year. Amidst all of the pressure, He guided his Duke team, which didn’t have the normal star power or depth of his previous championship teams, to a 35-5 record and a ACC tournament title. Then came the NCAA tournament where many people believed that the Blue Devils were over seeded. The Blue Devils certainly lacked the athleticism and NBA lottery picks compared to the other one seeds and some of the teams they faced in the tournament. But Duke had a “secret” weapon that no one else had: Mike Krzyzewski. He continually out-coached every team his Dukies played, as evident in Duke’s 17-point margin of victory heading into their showdown with Butler. And we all know how that game played out: Mike Krzyzewski was able to conduct his Blue Devils past Butler, a team that almost seemed destined to win it all and achieve a fairytale ending, in one of the greatest championship games in tournament history. And if none of that impresses you, perhaps Coach K’s most impressive feat was turning Brian Zoubek (easily the most klutzy and biggest goofball ever to walk this earth) into a productive basketball player.

-The Southern Gentleman

David vs. Goliath?

Everyone is saying that the Butler Bulldogs are finally going to meet their match tomorrow night when they face the Duke Blue Devils. And on paper they are right; the national championship game has all of the characteristics of a David vs. Goliath matchup. The powerhouse Duke Blue Devils hail from the illustrious Atlantic Coast Conference. The mid-major Butler Bulldogs from the modest Horizon League. Duke hopes to win its fourth title in 19 years, while Butler hopes to win its first in school history. Duke spends $394,068 per player; Butler spends $347,108 on their entire team. Duke has six McDonalds’s All-Americans on their team this year. Butler has never had one in school history. Duke’s coach Mike Kryzewski is one of the all-time greats who boasts 76 NCAA tournament victories, the highest tournament winning percentage among active coaches, three national championships, and an Olympic gold medal. Butler’s coach Brad Stevens (who was still in diapers when Mike Kryzewski took over at Duke) was mistaken for a player by the Final Four security a few days ago.

Fortunately for Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs, basketball is not played on paper. If it were, then the Bulldogs probably wouldn’t be on a 25 game winning streak and coming off wins over the likes of Syracuse, Kansas State, and Michigan State. The secret to Butler’s success has been their ability to play suffocating defense. Last night against Michigan State, Butler shot a dreadful 15-49 from the floor, but the Bulldogs were able to sneak away with a win because of their impressive defense that held the Spartans to just 50 points.

The outcome of tomorrow night's game could very well rest in Butler's ability to contain the big three of Duke and keep the Blue Devils off the offensive glass. Last night, Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith, combined for 63 points, 17 assists, 12 rebounds, and 12 three-pointers. They scored 63 of Duke’s 78 points, which was also 6 more points than the entire West Virginia “Brokeback” Mountain-eers scored. (Skip ahead to 1:15)

The good news for the Butler faithful is that the Bulldogs have just the players to defend the big three of Duke in Shelvin Mack, Shawn Vanzant, and Ronald Nored.

The Bulldogs must also do something that no one has been able to do thus far in the tournament: limit Duke’s second chance opportunities. The Blue Devils are the sixth best offensive rebounding team in the country, and the Duke big men do a great job of kicking their offensive boards to wide-open three point shooters. Last night, Butler showed their defensive rebounding ability as they only allowed Michigan State (another top-10 offensive rebounding team) to grab six offensive boards. But the bad news for Butler is that their star big men Matt Howard left last nights game with a minor concussion and is listed as a game-time decision. Bulldog fans need to pray that Howard is able to remember his name tomorrow night so that he can help keep the Dukies off the boards. If Butler is able to contain Duke’s big three and keep Duke’s bigs off the boards, then they have a chance to make history and become the first five seed ever to win a national championship.

-The Southern Gentleman

U-G-L-Y, You Ain't Got No Alibi, You Ugly...

This NCAA Tournament has been the best in years. There have been countless upsets, and every game has been fun to watch. Unfortunately, I think I'll have to pass on watching the Duke v. West Virginia game. No, it's not because I think the game itself will be sub-par; I'm sure it will be a great match-up. And it's not because I despise any of the schools, coaches, players, etc. I cannot bring myself to watch the game because of one man: Kyle Singler (pictured left).

Hey, the guy is a great basketball player, and I'm sure he'd be fun to watch...provided he put a paper bag over his head. Kyle Singler is just plain ugly. He is the sole reason I wish sports were not broadcasted in Hi-Definition. I mean, look at the guy. He is borderline albino. I don't think he has seen the sun in a year. Plus, his features remind me of that deformed guy from The Goonies:

Not only is Singler tough on the eyes, but he's creepy as well. I'd be fine with him if he was some scrawny point guard, but the guy is 6' 9" and weighs 220 lbs. Every time the camera man zooms in on him, I shudder.

To be fair, ugly basketball players are not a rarity. It almost like there's a positive relationship between the ugliness of a player and their skill level. Just look at Stephen Jackson. The guy can play ball, but he's no male model:

Anyways, even though it'll be tough to watch the Duke game, I think Duke will pull through. I just don't see the West Virginia defense being able to stop Singler. I mean, let's be honest, would you go near him?

Adios,
Breeneback