It’s hard to say much after a game like that other than: wow.  Holy Cow.  You cannot be serious.  It may not have been an artistic success, but in terms of tension and drama, it’ll be hard to beat anytime soon.

The 78-57 win over West Virginia ought to settle a few things.  First, both teams were seeded correctly.  Duke was unquestionably better and deserved the number one seed it got, particularly if West Virginia was the alternative.  Second, it should argue against the idea that Duke had an easy path.  Duke has done well in this tournament because they have played well, not because they were given anything.

With the 78-71 win over Baylor, Duke ends a six-year absence and returns to the Final Four.

It wasn’t an easy game, because Purdue is never going to be easy, but Duke prevailed, as usual, behind the Big Three with steady support from Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas.

Of all the people associated with California basketball, Jamaal Boykin should’ve known better than to say this:

Coach K described Duke’s performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff as workmanlike, which is probably a fair description.

Yesterday I referenced Duke’s 69-64 win over Georgia Tech in the 2005 ACC Tournament finals and suggested we might see a similar outcome today.

I have no idea what Everett Case would have said about Duke’s semi-final win over Miami. But I know what Jim Valvano would have said.

The late Everett Case used to say that the most dangerous team in a tournament was the team that played the worst on the first day and still won.

Remember that ESPN commercial where Evander Holyfield is walking through the studio saying, “Charlie. Charlie, come out and get your whooping!” And the camera shows us that Charlie Steiner, is cowering under a desk. That was pretty much UNC on Duke’s Senior Night.