Duke Gets Blasted! Butler's Still Rolling!

" We're Baaack!"

The defending national champs were sent home last night after being completely embarrassed by the Arizona Wildcats.  Derrick Williams carried Arizona in the first half, keeping the Wildcats in the game against Duke. His teammates returned the favor in the final 20 minutes with an offensive barrage that stunned the defending national champions. Williams scored 25 of his career-high 32 points in the first half of Arizona's 93-77 victory Thursday night, helping the Wildcats reach the final eight for the first time since 2005.
 
With that loss everybody's bracket including mine is shot to pieces. As much as it pained me to pick the Blue Devils to win it all, I did. They were, by all accounts, the favorites going into the tournament. They were the most consistent and the most experienced so I don't feel bad that my bracket is now in the garbage. Let me say again, I'm not a Duke fan but I don't pick with my heart. I thought it was a solid pick.
 

The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-5) were sent packing from a regional semifinal for the second time in three years with last nights loss. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, with 900 wins, will have to wait until next season to resume his pursuit of Bob Knight's record as the winningest men's coach in Division I history. "The tournament is cruel," Krzyzewski said. "It's an abrupt end for everybody when you don't win."

The Wildcats were just too athletic for the Blue Devils all night long. They beat them in transition from the word go. Duke just couldn't keep up. It was embarrassing how bad it got in the second half. Coach K was so upset that he started badgering the refs for calls, anything that they could give him, but it wasn't happening. Arizona gave them a wood shed beating and is moving on.

What can I say about the Butler Bull Dawgs? Nothing! I won't say a word against them because they are rolling right now.  Brad Stevens is doing the impossible with less. He doesn't have an NBA caliber player on his roster(Shelvin Mack  might get a look) and he's going through teams like he's got three lottery picks. This guy is doing a helluva job of coaching.

"Stevens has the Dawgs rolling again"

Butler is in the Elite Eight for the second year in a row and lightning has struck twice. Take the money and run Brad, you're hot as a firecracker right now. I thought you were crazy for not leaving last year but you'd be insane not to leave this year. If I were you my house would be packed up in a U-haul right now. The offers will probably be twice as high as they were last year. I know Tennessee will be throwing the entire state your way by next week. They've got money and land to give you because both their football and basketball programs are shot. If it wasn't for Pat Summit right now they'd close the school.

I know it's not about the money, because it's all about the money. Why do we go to work in the first place? If someone is going to give you the Land of OZ and Captain Hook's treasure to do the same exact thing you're doing at Butler, why not take it? Even if you get fired three years later. You've made 9 years worth of money relative to staying at Butler. Type A personalities don't think about failure anyway. So that wouldn't be a deterrent at all.  However, I respect you for staying and being content with what you have in front of you. Good luck the rest of the way.  Go Dawgs!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.