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 Tyus Jones scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half,
and unsung first-year player Grayson Allen sparked the Blue Devils
with 16 as Duke took the title in Indianapolis giving coach Mike
Krzyzewski a fifth national championship. Krzyzewski is now second
all-time to John Wooden who owns the record with 10 titles.
"All of them are great. The one you're in this moment with is always
the most current and you can feel it the best," Krzyzewski told
reporters.
"We were dead in the water (tonight) and Grayson put us on his back,
got us in striking distance and then we just said 'Tyson, be you'
That's great coaching, I guess."
Duke's triumph was very much in doubt midway through the second half
where Wisconsin held a 48-39 advantage with 13:23 remaining, and
Duke’s top big men Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow on the bench.
That is when Allen, who came in averaging just four points per game,
scored eight straight points to spark an 11-3 run that got them back
in the game.
Jones did the heavy lifting from there, making a go-ahead
three-pointer with about four minutes left which started a 10-0
spurt that sealed the contest.
"My team mates and the coaching staff have given me confidence and
believed and trusted in me all year," said Jones, named the Most
Outstanding Player of the Final Four. "That's the biggest thing
about this team, we never want to let each other down."
Wisconsin was seeking its first national title since 1941, but fell
short despite 21 points from standout Frank Kaminsky who was
recently named the College Player of the Year.
The Badgers reached the title game by shocking previously undefeated
Kentucky in the Final Four game on Saturday.
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After the loss, 31 people were arrested near the University of
Kentucky on charges including public intoxication and disorderly
conduct when hundreds of fans flooded the streets around the
school's Lexington campus.
A heavy police presence on Monday greeted raucous but peaceful
Badgers fans, who took to the streets of Madison near the Wisconsin
campus after the final loss. Police reported no major incidents and
two arrests in bars before 11:00 p.m. local time.
A massive crowd celebrated the win with a bonfire on Duke's campus,
according to a picture published by the university on its Twitter
account. Durham police dispatchers said they had received no reports
of arrests or injuries as of midnight local time.
(Reporting by Mary Reardon, Curtis Skinner and Jahmal Corner.
Editing by Patrick Johnston)
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