MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Mike Krzyzewski didn't want to let go of
Shane Battier.
Coach K hugged him for what seemed to be an eternity, a farewell
embrace for his national player of the year and team leader.
Battier's work is done.
|  | | Look familiar? Mike Krzyzewski and Duke also won the 1991 and '92 national championships. |
"It's complete," Duke's all-everything senior forward said.
"All that's left for me is to ride off into the sunset on a white
horse."
With a national title in his hand.
The top-ranked Blue Devils won their third championship – and
second in the Metrodome – with an 82-72 victory over Arizona on
Monday night.
With Battier and Duke's other All-American, Jason Williams,
coming up big down the stretch, and sophomores Mike Dunleavy and
Carlos Boozer playing key roles, Krzyzewski moved into impressive
coaching company.
"Shane wasn't hitting his jump shot, but he comes up with two
amazing offensive rebounds," Krzyzewski said. He was referring to
two plays in the final 4½ minutes when Battier, the national player
of the year, scored after Arizona had closed within three points.
Battier played all 40 minutes, scoring 18 points, with 11
rebounds and six assists. He finished his career with 131
victories, tying Kentucky's Wayne Turner, who played from 1996-99,
for the NCAA record.
"The thing with Duke, you pick your poison," Arizona coach
Lute Olson said. "Sometimes it's going to be one guy, another time
it's going to be someone else. The one consistent thing is that
Shane Battier is going to have a great game because he just makes
things happen. I don't think there's been any question in anyone's
mind about him being player of the year."
Still trailing UCLA's John Wooden's 10 national championships,
Krzyzewski moved one behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and tied his
college coach, Bob Knight, who won three at Indiana.
To get to this game, Duke (35-4) had to overcome a 22-point
deficit in Saturday's semifinal win over Maryland. The last time
the Blue Devils won it all, it was by 20 points over Michigan.
The loss ended Arizona's bittersweet season and kept the
Wildcats (28-8) from matching their own record of beating three No.
1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which they did when they won it all
in 1997.
Loren Woods had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Arizona, the
team that rebounded from a poor start and overcame the death of
Olson's wife, Bobbi, on Jan. 1 to reach the championship game.
"All the emotions they had to go through and they withstood
them and did a great job to get to the final game," Olson said.
"It's tough. Someone's got to lose it. Duke is deserving. We gave
them a good run and couldn't get it done."
Duke's other titles came in consecutive years, and the second in
1992 was won in this building after the same trip through the
tournament – Greensboro, N.C., Philadelphia and Minneapolis for the
Final Four.
Dunleavy, playing in front of his father, Portland Trail Blazers
coach Mike Dunleavy, led Duke with 21 points, 18 in the second
half.
Dunleavy hit a career-high five 3-pointers, while Boozer, who
just returned last weekend after missing six games with a broken
foot, had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Williams, saddled with foul trouble, had 16 points on 5-for-15
shooting.
Duke is the first No. 1-ranked team to win the national
championship since UCLA in 1995.
Dunleavy had three 3-pointers in an 11-2 run that put the Blue
Devils up 50-39 four minutes into the second half.
Arizona came right back with a 9-0 run that was capped by a hook
shot by Woods with 14:11 left that made it 50-48.
It took Duke just four minutes to get the lead back to 10,
61-51, on Dunleavy's last 3 of the game with 10:08 to play.
Again, the Wildcats came back.
Four times Arizona got within three points. Three times it was
Battier, the outstanding player of the Final Four, who responded
for Duke.
His dunk on a pass from Williams made it 77-72 with 2:31 left,
and Williams hit a 3 with 1:45 left that gave the Blue Devils an
eight-point lead.
"Most games we're able to get that run," Woods said. "We just
couldn't today. They just beat us at our own game."
Duke, which set NCAA records this season for 3-pointers made and
attempted, finished 9-for-27 from beyond the arc. Arizona really
struggled from long range, finishing 4-for-22 with Jason Gardner
missing all eight attempts.
Duke shot 47 percent from the field (30-for-64), well above the
38 percent Arizona's other opponents, including No. 1 seeds
Illinois and Michigan State, shot during the tournament.
Arizona shot 39 percent (28-for-71), nowhere near the 50 percent
mark the Wildcats were at for the first five games of the
tournament.
"Somehow," Dunleavy said, "we were able to outlast them."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Arizona Clubhouse
Duke Clubhouse
Katz: Battier says goodbye to college, hello world
Frozen moment: Dunleavy's triple plays
Katz: Olson's family of players sticking together
Vitale: Duke tames 'Cats for title
Police fire stun grenades, rubber bullets at rioting Arizona fans
Duke fans celebrate national title with bonfire
Boozer makes tough return to Final Four glory
Woods plays biggest game in toughest loss
A sad ending to a sad season for Olson
Debate rages about Duke and referees
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Duke Blue Devils' news conference.
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Arizona Wildcats' news conference.
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Players and coaches sound off after Duke's victory over Arizona in the NCAA championship game.
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'Cable Modem
 Shane Battier attacked the offensive boards to help lead Duke to another title.
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Mike Krzyzewski knew early that Duke would have to play great to beat Arizona (Courtesy: NCAA Prduction).
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Lute Olson says Duke was too strong down the stretch for his Wildcats (Courtesy: NCAA Production).
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ESPN's Brad Daugherty talks with Jason Williams after Duke's national championship performance.
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ESPN.com's Andy Katz catches up with Jason Gardner after Arizona's loss to Duke.
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Mike Dunleavy says he did not lose confidence, and found his shooting touch in the second half (Courtesy: NCAA Production).
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