Give the Devils their due ...

I get all the reasons to hate Duke.  They make sense.  It's hard to argue with the smug, elite demeanor of those pasty white kids who make the "dagger-in-your-heart" 3-pointers that put your favorite team to sleep.  I get it.  And trying to make you change your mind and root for the Dukies is, well, a futile exercise.

I know this much about Duke, and in particular Coack K ... they do it the right way and have done it well for a long time.  That enough is reason for me to not hate them.  I certainly can see where routing against them is possible, but I never am upset when they win because they are the standard to which we hold ourselves.   They are the standard for greatness.  And after last night's 61-59 win over a Butler team, that many never thought would be in that position, I don't take away from Duke.  I applaud them.  They did what was expected and made the plays when needed to win a game that etches a moment in time.  And while there is some credit to be given to Butler, their Cinderella story ended shortly before midnight last night.

Duke is a deserving national champion ... it's time to give them their due.

Zinno