Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Butler-Duke Classic

Great, compelling NCAA championship game. Watched it with my 11-year-old son. It may have been the first college basketball game he's watched end to end (well, he was on the Internet somewhat during the first half, but still glancing up at the game.) Game was too interesting/exciting to send him to bed. You can find all the write-ups about it on-line.

I'll just make this one comment/conjecture: Really, the defining college game of my youth was the famous Bird-Magic/Indiana St-Michigan State final in 1979. I remember staying up late to watch that game, which has gone down in history, not necessarily because it was a great, close game, but because of the influence the two stars had on the NBA over the next decade. I wonder if the Duke-Butler game will have similar ramifications. I'm not sure that Butler or Duke has any future NBA stars, so maybe the game won't have the lasting legacy that the Bird-Magic showdown did. But, it really was a great game. It will be interesting to see if anyone, including my son, remembers it 30 years from now.

Ralph

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Founded in 1855 by attorney and abolitionist Ovid Butler, Butler occupies 290 acres in Indianapolis' Butler-Tarkington neighborhood.

The University emphasizes a liberal arts-based education with the goal of teaching clear and effective communication, appreciation of beauty, and a commitment to lifelong learning, community service and global awareness.

Ralph said...

Got to love abolitionists named "Ovid." And, based on the efforts of their basketball team, I'd say they are doing a good job of fulfilling their mission statement.