Duke University takes the crown and wins NCAA title
Fantasy NCAA bracket players, rejoice! Finally you can get back to your normal lives, either repressed with the frustration of Kentucky’s loss, or overjoyed at your Wisconsin Badgers pick. This year’s tournament has been phenomenal, filled with solid, fundamental basketball and rising stars poised for an NBA career. March Madness is a time of year when people can come together, place friendly and responsible wagers, while enjoying good-quality basketball from gifted young players. This year was no exception, once again proving why March is debatably the favorite month of every basketball fan.
The Wisconsin Badgers fell to the Duke Blue Devils in a 68-63 final to earn their fifth NCAA Championship under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The opening round of the tournament, featuring 64 teams, was hectic, exciting, and extremely entertaining, to say the least. While there were a lot of one-sided games, including Villanova’s 93-52 rout of Lafayette, and Kentucky’s 79-56 victory over Hampton, many of the games were closer than expected. Baylor’s early exit from the tournament had many followers questioning their bracket picks, while Louisville looked very impressive with a win over UC Irvine.
Moving towards the Sweet 16 round, many viewers were shocked at NC State’s hard-earned victory over heavy favorites Villanova. Picked by many to advance to the finals, Villanova’s strong team will have to recover and remain focused on next year’s tournament. Some incredibly exciting matchups from this round included Michigan State’s upset over Oklahoma, and Kentucky’s too-close-for-comfort win over a poised Notre Dame team.
The Final Four saw Kentucky’s powerhouse, undefeated squad take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Seemingly flying under the radar, Wisconsin had a phenomenal team, filled with a core of talented young players under the leadership of veteran coach Bo Ryan. In the biggest upset of the tournament without a doubt, the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats fell to Wisconsin in a 71-64 thriller (sorry, Obama). On the other side of the Final Four, a humble Michigan State team fought their way forward to take on the heavy favorites in Duke. The consistent Blue Devils line-up proved to be too much to handle, handing Michigan State a 81-61 loss.
The much anticipated championship showdown took place on April.6, with the Wisconsin Badgers taking on the Duke Blue Devils. With the NCAA Championship title on the line, both teams came out of the gate determined, and poised for glory. Duke’s core of young freshmen, including Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, and Grayson Allen, helped Duke push past the difficult and fortified Wisconsin defence. After Wisconsin held a decisive lead for a majority of the game, Duke ended the last nine minutes of the game with a 16-9 run, with 37 combined points coming from the freshman of Duke’s team in the second-half. After a hard-fought battle, the Duke Blue Devils cruised to their fifth NCAA Championship under the reign of legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski. There was no shortage of excitement in this final matchup – the Blue Devils will celebrate their victory and will continue to look forward towards the development of their young core of rising stars.