Duke captured its first NCAA title in nine years by getting past Arizona 82-72 to win the third championship in school history. The title was coach Mike Krzyzewski's third in 11 seasons. Shane Battier of Duke was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
65th Team, Play-In Game Added
After 15 years of having 64 teams in the field, the NCAA expanded the number of teams for the first time since 1985. A 65th team was added due to the Mountain West Conference getting an automatic bid for the first time. A play-in game was added as well between the No. 64 and No. 65 teams to face a No. 1 seed in the first round. The tournament ran from March 13 to April 2 with the Final Four being played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Duke No. 1 Seed In East
Duke had not won an NCAA crown since winning back-to-back crowns in 1991 and 1992. Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils came into the tournament as the second ranked team in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the East region. Duke crushed Monmouth 95-62 in the first round and then beat Missouri 94-81 in the second round. The Blue Devils brushed off UCLA 76-63 in the Sweet Sixteen and a 79-69 win over USC in the Elite Eight gave Krzyzewski's team its fourth straight double digit victory in cruising into the Final Four.
Michigan State, Maryland, Arizona Into Final Four
Joining the Blue Devils in the Twin Cities were the defending champion and South No. 1 seed Michigan State - making its third straight Final Four appearance; Midwest No. 2 seed Arizona, which knocked off top-seeded Illinois; and West third seed Maryland, which beat No. 1 seed Stanford in the regional final.
Duke, Arizona Advance To Monday Final
In the national semifinals, Duke and Maryland faced off for the fourth time of the year. And the Terrapins jumped ahead 39-17. Shane Battier and Jason Williams cut the deficit to 49-38 at half-time and took the lead 73-72 with nearly seven minutes to play. And Duke finished the deal with a 23-12 closing run for a 95-84 victory. Arizona dominated reigning national champion Michigan State 80-61 to reach its second title game following the crown in 1997.
Duke, Battier, Dunleavy Jr. Too Much For Arizona
In the final, Mike Dunleavy Jr. poured in 18 of his 21 points in the second half and Shane Battier collected 18 points and 11 rebounds as Duke proved too much for the Wildcats. Battier made two big baskets in the later stages and Jason Williams finished off the game with a three-pointer from the top of the key in an 82-72 victory. The Blue Devils won all six NCAA games by double digits, averaging a 16.7 point winning margin.
Krzyzewski Overcomes 1999 Final, Depatures
The title saw Krzyzewski totally overcome the disappointment from 1999 when his team was surprised in the NCAA final by Connecticut and then saw his first three underclassmen ever leave the program for the NBA.
Krzyzewski Pulls Even With Knight
Coach K's third NCAA crown pulled him even with his college coach Bob Knight, one behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp but still well behind the all-time leader John Wooden, who won 10 titles with UCLA. And in reaching nine Final Fours in 16 seasons, Krzyzewski's 10 wins in Final Four action rank him second only behind Wooden.
