…and it’s not as bad as we thought it was going to be.

The final four at-large teams and final four automatic qualifiers in the newly minted 68-team NCAA men’s basketball tournament field will meet for the right to enter the traditional 64-team draw, tournament selection committee chairman Dan Guerrero announced Monday.

The “First Four” will be played either the Tuesday or Wednesday after Selection Sunday. The winners of the four games will advance to what will now be called the “second round” on either Thursday or Friday.

The games will be televised on TruTv (formerly CourtTV), which is available in 93 million homes, said NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen, who manages the NCAA tournament. CBS, Turner, TBS and TruTV are in their first year of a $10.8 billion, 14-year television agreement.

There was a lot of talk about a possible expansion to 96 teams, which would just be an obvious money grab by the NCAA, but the entity showed some restraint and are only going to expand the tournament by three teams.

I don’t know what the hell TruTV is or if I even get it on DirecTV, but this is the way for a channel to put itself on the map.

But wait a second — the last few at-large teams (#10-#12) aren’t seeded as low as the last few automatic bids (#16), so how are the winners of the “First Four” going to be inserted in the rest of the tournament field?

Guerrero and Shaheen said the last four at-large teams would be put on the seed line the committee decided they earned. So, this could mean that two could be considered No. 12 seeds playing for the right to play a No. 5 and two could be No. 11s vying to play a No. 6 in the second round.

In its news release, the NCAA listed the 10th seed as a possible destination for the last at-large teams, something that has occurred in past years. It is unlikely that the committee will have one team seeded 10th, 11th or 12th to avoid having teams seeded differently playing in a First Four game.

Confused yet? Me too, but at least the NCAA has a plan. I just don’t know quite how it’s going to work. If these are #11 vs. #16 games, then potentially there would be a #16 vs. #6 matchup if the #16-seed won its “First Four” game. That is going to take some getting used to.

Hey, at least they didn’t expand it any further.

Over the past week, we’ve conducted a poll that asks our readers why they hate the Duke Blue Devils. Here are the results (250 respondents):

The results are interesting. While 37% of respondents freely admit that they don’t hate Duke, that means that 63% do, for one reason or another. The top reasons were “they get all the calls” with 20%, “private school, elitist student body” with 14%, and “Christian Laettner, J.J. Redick, etc.” with 8%. Surprisingly, “Coach K” (3%) and “they win too much” (4%) were not popular responses.

I like his reasoning…

Sparty & Friends listed five rules in college basketball that need to change. I don’t have a problem with #2 (6-fouls to disqualification) or #3 (no passing the ball in the half court on out of bounds plays), so let’s focus on the other three:

1. Change to 48 minute games, divided up in quarters, with a 24 second shot clock – At first I wasn’t sure about this one, as most will usually complain that most sporting events are already too long in the first place. However, I reconsidered based on what my second rule change should be. An additional 8 minutes will not significantly impact the length of the game, especially if they were to eliminate stoppage timeouts every 4 minutes of playing time. They will have the two extra tv timeouts at the end of the quarters, which would help alleviate the advertising concern. A need for a 24 second clock would be needed to force teams to not milk the clock anymore than they already do. The cons of this would put teams with lack of depth, especially smaller schools in the tournament, at a disadvantage. To that I say tough noogies.

I object more to the 24-second shot clock than the four quarters idea, but I’d rather not see any of this happen. First, going to a 24-shot clock would only serve to make teams depend even more on the good ol’ on-ball screen that is already so prevalent in college hoops. In the NBA, the short shot clock leads to a lot of bad attempts — can you imagine what would happen in college with players that aren’t nearly as good? No, the 35-second shot clock is just fine. It allows offenses and plays to develop and generally results in good attempts. Plus, it rewards the best defenses that are able to defend for that duration.

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ESPN rumors reports on the possibility of Brad Stevens taking a job elsewhere.

Given that the school can’t afford to pay Stevens a top salary, it probably can’t make his buyout price high enough to faze a BCS-level school either.

One thing that’s working in the school’s favor is time. The run to the championship game means many schools that had Stevens in mind have already filled their positions. With Oliver Purnell going to DePaul and BC looking ready to hire Cornell’s Steve Donahue, Oregon and now Clemson are the only schools that can offer a world-beating financial package.

The Register-Guard reports that Oregon AD Pat Kilkenny was in Indianapolis this weekend and reportedly has his eye on Stevens:

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- RUMORS AND RANTS has video of a blogger asking Duke fans — including kind of a cute little blonde — before the Butler game whether or not they are okay with the role of villain.

- JAKE’S TAKE ON SPORTS went to see the Duke/Butler game in 3-D at a local movie theater and posted this review.

- STEADY BURN hates all things Duke, but this little nugget about Nolan Smith’s dad inventing the high five is kind of cool.

- GUYISM lists eight sporting events that should be national holidays. I agree with the first two, and that’s about it.

- DEADSPIN has side-by-side photos of the front page of the Charlotte Observer after UNC’s win last year and Duke’s win last night. Notice a difference?

In his post game press conference, Mike Krzyzewski was asked about why he told Brian Zoubek to intentionally miss the second free throw, giving Butler an opportunity to win the game with a half-court shot. Here’s his response, via NewsObserver.com:

On the last thing, they didn’t have any timeouts left. And if he missed, I thought it would take a miracle shot, you know. Well, it almost did. But we were set up to guard it. And Pat made a good point. Really, they’re not gonna call it at that time. But Kyle got killed at halfcourt, you know. So they wouldn’t have got it without that, ’cause Kyle was on Hayward, which is pretty good for a press guy to see that stuff.

But they would have to take a halfcourt shot. And we were set up to guard that. And, you know, what the hell, it worked. You know, there are many things that you do during a ballgame. Whatever the consequences are, you take it.

The general consensus is that Zoubek should have made the free throw, giving his team a three-point lead. That way, the worst-case scenario is overtime. Butler was out of timeouts, so there wasn’t an opportunity for Brad Stevens to draw up a play — they would have to go with whatever play they ran in practice. With 3.5 seconds on the clock, there was enough time for Gordon Hayward to get off a decent attempt.

But hey — it worked. If Zoubek hits the free throw, it’s possible that Butler completes a long pass and someone gets a good look at a game-tying three. Now the game is in overtime and Duke could very well lose.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Bob Kravitz, Indy Star: If this magical, marvelous run didn’t renew a little bit of your faith in sports — and specifically college basketball — it means you’ve already drowned in cynicism and are beyond hope. Unless you’re a Duke fan — and maybe even if you’re a Duke fan — how can you fail to see the beauty in what Butler accomplished these past few weeks? … Butler changes everything, the reality of college basketball and the perception of college basketball. Gonzaga began it years ago, consistently pulling upsets and reaching the Sweet Sixteen. Then there was George Mason in the Final Four. And now, it was Butler, one field goal short of winning it all. Now, will we go back to seeing pedigreed teams and million-dollar coaches from power conferences the next five years? Yeah, that’s possible, even likely. But Butler has shown the little guy CAN get to the final. The little guy CAN take mighty Duke down to the final possession. Maybe next time, a Butler — or another mid-major — will finish the job.

Andy Katz, ESPN: Duke won this national title by being Butler. The Blue Devils were just as tough, physical and defensive-minded as the Bulldogs throughout the game. This was the mantra of a Blue Devils team that was hardly the most talented but had the mindset of a mid-major, as highly recruited players stayed three or four years. They were about team defense, half-court defense and making stops when it mattered most. Associate head coach Chris Collins said prior to the game that the Blue Devils wouldn’t be in the Final Four, playing for the national championship, had it not been for Zoubek. He was put in the starting lineup against Maryland on Feb. 13 because sophomore Miles Plumlee wasn’t playing at a high enough level. Once Zoubek was there he never left, and he became a presence that changed the outcome of games.

Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com: These guys played for him, and got better, when it was clear this was not one of Krzyzewski’s best teams. But there is ample evidence now to crown Coach K as the best of all time. Better than Knight, better than Rupp, better than — blasphemy be damned — Wooden. Wooden and Rupp were in a different age. They didn’t have to slog through six games to win it all each year. They also didn’t have to slog through the ACC each season. Student has now surpassed teacher in the case of Knight. The numbers are, and will continue to be, there. Monday’s victory was Krzyzewski’s 868th. He’s eight behind the third-place Rupp and 34 behind Knight at No. 1. No one has won more tournament games.

Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com: At some point, most figured, Duke would turn into Duke and Butler would remember it had a roster of three-star prospects, one of whom was dealing with a mild concussion. At some point, most figured, the out-manned and undersized Bulldogs would be overwhelmed by Duke’s three guards, let things get away from them, take a runners-up trophy and head back six miles to campus not necessarily happy but appreciative of the moment. There were many times when things seemed headed that direction. When Ronald Nored picked up a second early foul was one. When Matt Howard missed a third layup was another. But then Avery Jukes would sink an open jumper or Shelvin Mack would slice through the lane for a layup, and a game that often seemed on the verge of slipping away would suddenly be tight again. Butler just kept hanging around, never trailing by more than six. It all led to an incredible moment here at this downtown dome when, with 13.6 seconds remaining and the game paused for a timeout, Brad Stevens, the 33-year-old future star whose stardom is now present, diagrammed a play for Hayward to get the ball at the top of the key while 70,930 fans yelled and clapped and chanted, mostly for a Butler team that was behind 60-59. It was a moment that looked and felt special. Regardless of what happened from that point forward, the game was an all-timer.

ESPN Classic will rebroadcast the 2010 men’s national championship game between Butler and Duke as its Instant Classic on Tuesday, April 6, at 5:30 ET.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

It was a storybook finish for Brian Zoubek.

Something of a punch line for most of his four-year career at Duke, the light suddenly went on midway through his senior season. The game slowed down for the 7’1″ center and he quickly became a force defensively and on the glass.

And he needed every inch of that big frame tonight. With just seconds remaining and Duke nursing a one-point lead, Butler’s best player, Gordon Hayward, drove into the lane. Zoubek helped off his man and forced Hayward into a difficult fadeaway jumper along the baseline that was a few inches too long. Zoubek was in the right spot to collect the rebound, and after a quick Butler foul, he had to make the long walk to the other end of the court to shoot a pair of free throws.

Having shot just 55% on the season, Zoubek nailed his first attempt to give Duke a two-point lead. He was then told by his coach to intentionally miss the second* so that Butler would have to gather the rebound and drive the length of the floor to attempt a game-winning shot from half court. Hayward did just that, and once again missed by a few inches. The shot hit the backboard and clanged off the front of the rim.

Just like that, Brian Zoubek became a national champion.

Duke’s “Big Three” — Kyle Singler (19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks), Jon Scheyer (15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nolan Smith (13 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) — certainly deserve much of the credit, but the Blue Devils would not have won the title tonight without the play of their big men, and Zoubek led the way. His eight points and 11 boards were huge; his play was especially noticeable in the second half when Duke only yielded two offensive rebounds. (Butler had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half.)

Butler’s man-to-man defense was outstanding. The Blue Devils committed 13 turnovers and shot just 29% from long range. But Duke’s defense was just as good, forcing the Bulldogs into 35% shooting.

It was a back-and-forth, white knuckle affair. Just when it looked like Duke might pull away, the Bulldogs would make a couple of plays to cut the lead back to one. It was just a great, great game.

* This is a decision that I don’t agree with when there is 3+ seconds remaining — I’d rather go up three and have the worst-case scenario be overtime.

Photo from fOTOGLIF