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Tough as nails True grit brought Duke, 'Zona to this point
Updated: Monday April 02, 2001 3:27 PM
The word of the day, Hoopheads, is resiliency. Duke and Arizona are playing in the national championship game because they have displayed a remarkable ability to persevere through adversity, both during the season and within the course of any given game. Tonight's contest has the feel of a heavyweight championship fight, and so the last one standing will be the team that can best take a punch. Start with 'Zona. The all-too-frequently told Bobbi Olson storyline misses the point of the Wildcats' season. (Can you blame the players for not wanting to discuss the passing of their coach's wife this week?) Everyone involved with the program certainly felt the pain of the loss, but from a basketball standpoint, the illness and death of the coach's wife threw Arizona off kilter because it forced Lute Olson to take two leaves of absence, during which the team played miserably. With his white hair, tanned mien and baritone voice, Olson may look the part of the bounce-on-the-knee grandpa, but he can crack the whip as hard as anyone. This team derives much of its resiliency through the force of Olson's whip.
Finally, for all its star power, Arizona is as balanced a team as you will find. This gives the Wildcats great potency to adjust according to game situations. Michael Wright, who was the team's most consistent player all season, has been absent for long stretches in the tournament, but he was the reason the team made its devastating run against the Spartans at the beginning of the second half in the national semis. Likewise, Richard Jefferson has sacrificed his offense this season to concentrate on being the team's best defensive player, but if either Gardner or Arenas aren't producing, Jefferson, as he demonstrated Saturday, is capable of filling that role. Arizona can beat you inside and out and at all five positions. The trick is to recognize where to go and when. Duke, on the other hand, has not had to deal with the same emotional trauma the Wildcats have faced, but the Blue Devils have shown a similar -- and, perhaps, superior -- ability to change their personality when called upon. When Carlos Boozer broke his foot in February, Mike Krzyzewski transformed his team, making it even quicker and more potent on offense. Lost in all the fawning over Duke's ability to score is the fact that the Blue Devils are also, through necessity, a much better defensive team now than they were before Boozer went out. Their experience in winning without him has made them a much less vulnerable team. Duke also has a slight advantage against Arizona in terms of versatility, a result of Coach K's uncanny ability to recruit players who fit into his motion offense. The Blue Devils have an embarrassment of riches in players who can shoot the three and beat defenders off the dribble. In Shane Battier, they have a player who can do both of these things and post up as well. Duke has the ability to overcome occasionally spotty shooting. Witness Jason Williams, who beat Maryland with his explosive drives when it was obvious he couldn't hit anything from behind the arc. Gardner, whose 3-point percentage is considerably lower than Williams', is not quite as good when he has to put the ball on the floor. Finally, there is Duke's remarkable skill playing from behind. I guarantee you if the Blue Devils fall behind by 22 points tonight, they will not win the ball game (and certainly not by 11 points). But if they do face a sizable deficit at some point, they will be less likely to wither than their opponents would in the same situation. To succeed in the NCAA tournament you need the sangfroid that comes from the feeling that you've been there before. No matter what they face in tonight's game, the Blue Devils will know just what to do. And that, my fellow Hoopheads, is why I'm picking the Blue Devils to win the national championship. (Do I have to give a score? Fine: 83-80.) Both these teams have considerable strengths and few glaring weaknesses, but Duke has just a few more ways that it can win. When the final bell rings tonight, the Blue Devils will be declared the winner, but you can be sure they'll know they were in a fight. Sports Illustrated staff writer Seth Davis covers college basketball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Hoop Thoughts will appear each week throughout the college basketball season
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