The Madness is Over: Duke is Champion

This shouldn’t sound unfamiliar. Duke is your Men’s College Basketball Champion.

The Blue Devils defeated Wisconsin 68-63 Monday night, ending the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Despite both being No. 1 seeds, the two programs’ histories do not mirror each other. Duke is a perennial power under coach Mike Krzyzewski, reaching 12 Final Fours and winning five National Titles. Wisconsin has been solid under coach Bo Ryan, reaching the Final Four the last two years, but have not won the championship since 1941.

The Badgers actually led by as much as nine points in the second half before the Blue Devils closed the contest on a 29-15 run over the final 13 minutes.

“I want to thank my team,” said Krzyzewski on the court after the game. “They’ve showed such grit tonight. Our bench was spectacular and like we’ve said for a couple of months – eight is enough.”

Eight referring to the number of players Duke plays per game after dismissing Rasheed Sulaimon in January.

Grayson Allen is the recipient of extra playing time and extra touches due to the dismissal and he took advantage against Wisconsin – scoring 16 points off the Blue Devil bench. Tyus Jones had a game-high 23 points.

Wisconsin was led by Frank Kaminsky with 21 points.

With college basketball ending, sports fans are left with a few months of NBA and NHL action while Major League Baseball is just getting in swing.