Duke has just enough for breathtaking win

INDIANAPOLIS -- Make room, Adolph Rupp. Mike Krzyzewski needs a seat on your row.

Near speechless in the wake of his fourth NCAA basketball championship, the Duke coach on Monday night joined the late legendary Kentucky patriarch as No. 2 on the title list.

Only former UCLA coach John Wooden has more - a lot more. Odds are no one will match Wooden’s 10 titles, but Krzyzewski and Duke now have pulled even with Adolph Rupp, whose Wildcat teams ruled in 1948, ’49, ’51 and ’58.

With a breath-taking 61-59 win over Butler at Lucas Oil Stadium, Krzyzewski put the 2010 title atop those his teams won in ’91, ’92 and ’01.

“This was the best championship game of the eight we’ve been at,” Krzyzewski said.

Calling Butler “an amazing team”, Duke didn’t get a chance to exhale until Bulldog star Gordon Hayward barely missed a last-second heave from near mid-court that would have stood the college basketball world on its ear had in connected.

“It’s hard for me to believe we’re the national champions,” Krzyzewski said. “We beat a great team. We played a great game, but we still just managed to get by. What a way for this team to spend its last day together.”

Throughout the season, Krzyzewski refused to call his team a “great” one - only a very good with a great will to improve.

“I don't know if any team is great at the start of a season, any team. You might have exceptional talent,” Krzyzewski said before the title game.

“For these guys, we have really good talent and they've gotten better throughout the year.”

But Duke (35-5) definitely great with great motivation and needed more of it against Butler (33-5) than at any time during the entire season.

Seven-point underdogs, Brad Stevens’ Horizon League champs used a combination of depth, quickness and uncompromising defense to scare Duke throughout the game. To the delight of 70,930 fans, the Bulldogs provided enough memories to last forever.

“With this team, you’re always at peace,” Stevens said. “What they’ve done will last a lot longer than one night.”

Although Duke’s big three were big - Kyle Singler (19 points, nine rebounds), Jon Scheyer (15 points, six rebounds, five assists) and Nolan Smith (13 points, four assists) - Brian Zoubek was bigger at the end.

Playing with four fouls much of the second half, the 7-foot center got the final Duke rebound and the last point of the game to finish with eight points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.

On the potential game-winning shot by Hayward, Zoubek was able to put on just enough pressure to be a factor.

“I can’t put all of this into words,” Zoubek said. “We won a national championship with defense. There’s nothing else to say about it. “

As much Krzyzewski gave the credit to his players, there’s little doubt that 2010 rates as his best coaching job. At the beginning of the NCAA, almost no one had the Devils in the same class with Kansas, Kentucky and some of the Big East Conference powers.

“He’s our leader, and he’s had a great year,” Smith said. “An Olympic gold medal and now this. It’s special for us, but just as special for him.”

And at age 63 and in solid health, there’s no reason to think Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils won’t get a chance to win No. 5 - maybe more - before he retires.

Earlier Monday, a report surfaced that the NBA New Jersey Nets were willing to offer Krzyzewski $12 million annually to go pro. He quickly sent out a news release that reiterated his intention to stay put.

That’s good news for Duke, but bad news for those who hoped he may have lost his tournament touch.