(Ed’s Note: With the NCAA Tournament officially kicking off on March 18th/20th, we here at TSFJ will be giving the people 16(0) sweet words on 16 (bitter)sweet moments of March Madness past. Next up is Matt Whitener, who speaks the gospel of the truest story of Hoosiers we've ever seen. Oh, and if we go over 160 words…well, our bad.)
When Butler and Duke squared off in the National Championship Game in 2010, it looked to be one of the all-time bludgeonings in tournament history. Butler had been on a run and was having the best mid-major showing ever, this DUKE waiting now.
Brad Stevens’ club had made a habit of the thrilling win, pulling out three of their tourney wins by five points or less. But the closet Duke had come to taking a loss was a seven-point Sweet 16 win, an irresistible showing.
But this Butler club had indomitable resolve. They pushed Duke in the chest, and nearly counterpunched themselves to the type of underdog title that only happens in the movies. It came down to a Gordon Hayward half court heave that looked to have more than a fighter’s chance of dropping, but just came off the rim.
And with that the run was over, but the standard of Cinderella had been raised another notch yet again.
Related: Jay Williams, Ten Points In 54 Seconds And Duke’s 2001 Comeback Vs. Maryland
