null
|
|
Tuesday, March 27
Battier back for one Final act
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
PHILADELPHIA -- Sorry, USC, UCLA, Kentucky and even Boston College. But Duke and Shane Battier in the Final Four was probably predetermined.
Somehow, it just makes sense to have Duke come out of the East Region and be in Minneapolis next week.
The Final Four should and will likely end up as a coronation for an outstanding career for the senior forward and likely consensus national player of the year. It'll also serve as a passing of the torch to sensational sophomore point Jason Williams.
|  | | Shane Battier still has a chance to end his stellar career at Duke as a national champion. |
Having a modest upset like Maryland beating Stanford in the West Region earlier Saturday certainly adds intrigue to the Final Four. Maryland and Duke will meet next Saturday in the Metrodome for the fourth time this season after three games which could have been dubbed Instant Classics (two of them were).
Michigan State and Wisconsin faced each other four times last season. The Spartans won all four of those games, while Duke is 2-1 against Maryland. The Blue Devils came back from a 10-point deficit at Maryland in the last minute to force overtime and win Game 1. Maryland then beat Duke in Durham to start, before the Blue Devils outlasted Maryland by two in a classic ACC Tournament semifinal.
But having Duke in the game means that the season is concluding the way it was supposed to in Durham. And that's an accomplishment in itself that is too often taken for granted.
"The most amazing thing for him would be to win a national championship," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "His career has matched anybody, except for that national championship. He is deserving. You would like to see it happen."
That's right, Battier hasn't cut down a net at the Final Four. In fact, he's only been this far once before. Duke isn't as much of a regular in the Final Four as one would think, at least not under Battier's reign the past four seasons.
The consensus thought might be that Duke has been a regular every year. The Blue Devils were in the Final Four in '99 and lost to Connecticut in the title game. But Duke's last visit prior to that was in '94. Battier was on the '99 team, Williams and freshman Chris Duhon obviously weren't and that's why Battier wanted them to know how difficult it is to get to this point. He grabbed Duhon after the game and hugged him, mainly because he was the closest player to him, but also because he had something to say.
"I wanted to get to him especially, because winning a regional championship is very special and in my old age, I've come to appreciate it," Battier said. "It's my last time around. It's extremely special and I just told him to enjoy it because a lot of people would pay a lot of money to change places with him."
Duhon was the catalyst in Duke's 79-69 victory over the Trojans at the First Union Center. He made three second-half 3-pointers to help the Blue Devils pull away from the pesky Trojans who wouldn't go away when the lead got to 10. Duhon had to be the "X" factor with Battier going a mortal 1 for 8 in the second half (he still finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds) and Williams going 1 for 6 on 3s and 4 for 13 overall in the second half (he still finished with a game-high 28).
But Battier's overall will to make this happen seemed to carry the Blue Devils through a few tense times.
"Battier makes plays when the game is on the line," USC's Jeff Trepagnier said.
"You can't teach talent and he can shoot 3s, defend and get it done," USC coach Henry Bibby said. "Jason Williams isn't even close to the player he was a year ago. He's so much better. It always comes down to great players making plays.
"(But) Battier is the key to the team," Bibby continued. "He gets in everybody's face. He makes the big bucket when they have to. He gets the big rebound when he has to. He tells people where to go and what to do. He's the key player on that team in my estimation."
Every time USC got close, Battier, Williams or Duhon answered with a shot or a defensive play. That's the way it has been for most of the season. And after every game, Battier seemed to relish the moment and doesn't mind sharing his analysis on the significance.
What it means is he's got another week on the national stage to be the poster boy of the poster program for what can be good in the game. Battier might be too clean for some, but he has the passion to win and lead, something that can't be taught but seems to be a learned behavior from within. Battier has a good sense of self and what he's found out is he loves being a college basketball player, especially at Duke.
It showed when he got mad after he committed a late foul; screamed after he hit a big shot; and genuinely was ecstatic when he cut a piece of the net down.
"This is why I came back to college basketball," Battier said. "All year I wanted to get back to the Final Four, back to the dance. Now it's time to boogie."
But he's probably got two more jigs left in him before college basketball has to give him up to the NBA. But at least it's not too soon, and not before he gets one final lap of appreciation for helping lift Duke back to the elite and him to a level reserved for only a few legendary, complete college players:
A star worthy of the attention and one that probably won't fade anytime soon.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|  |
|
|
