Quote:
Originally Posted by Craven Morehead
What a fantstic game. Butler didn't win but they were far from losers. Even though Duke won, all the post-game talk has been about how well Butler played.
One thing struck me as odd, obviously Zoubek was instructed by Coach K to miss the last foul shot. Why? It damned near lost the game for them. Why give the opponent a chance to win? A chance to tie, maybe. But giving the opponent a chance to win is leaving too much to fate. Of course, what do I know? Coach K is polishing his trophy tonight and I'm sitting home without a job. 
Congrats to both teams. One of the best championship games ever.  |
Butler didn't have a timeout. So if he makes the shot, they have a chance to set up a play with the clock stopped which could allow them to get the ball most of the distance they needed to travel before the clock started again. Whereas, the missed shot meant that the clock was running while Butler brought the ball up and almost guaranteed a half-court shot or longer.
Basically a missed shot gave Duke a better shot at the win, while a made shot would make overtime a realistic possibility. Duke took the chance at the win.