King Duke

Steve Addy

Tuesday, April 3, 2001 | 10:11 a.m.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shane Battier and Duke played as if they knew how the story was supposed to end.

Many supporting players made their contributions, played their bit parts and the crowd cheered every line, every move. But then the stage cleared, and it was up to Battier to perform the thrilling final scene.

Like a Hollywood script emerging from prolonged development, Battier finally got the NCAA championship he has sought for four years. Taking over in the final five minutes, he capped his 133-win Duke career by leading the Blue Devils to an 82-72 victory over Arizona on Monday night at the Metrodome.

"All that's left for me is to ride off into the sunset on a white horse," Battier said, whose 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks confirmed his hero's status.

With sincere apologies to Arizona, which hoped to win in honor of Bobbi Olson, the late wife of coach Lute Olson, Battier's performance provided a fitting end to a terrific season and a final game that lived up to its billing before a crowd of 45,994.

After Duke depended on sophomore Mike Dunleavy's 21 points to build a lead that reached 12 with eight minutes left, Battier took control -- as the college player of the year should -- after Arizona pulled within 71-68.

Battier scored three straight Duke baskets in the next two minutes, two on offensive rebounds, to give the Blue Devils all the breathing room they needed. Duke's Jason Williams hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 left, making it 80-72, but Battier had stolen the moment.

In doing so, he gave Duke its first NCAA championship since 1992 -- also won at the Metrodome -- and handed coach Mike Krzyzewski his third title, tying him with Bobby Knight for the third-most behind John Wooden (10) and Adolph Rupp (four).

"It's my going-away present to coach," said Battier, a 6-foot-8 forward from Birmingham, Mich.

But Krzyzewski viewed it similarly for Battier, the only member of Duke's much-hyped 1997 recruiting class to stay four years. He returned specifically to win the elusive championship, though he's also a dedicated honors student.

"When we were getting the trophy, I pulled Battier aside and said, 'That's for letting me ride you,' " Krzyzewski said. "I feel that way about this team and Shane in particular. It was a like a storybook. I wasn't the main character, but I'm glad I was in the book."

Battier was voted the tournament's most outstanding player, averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 boards and nearly three blocks. He also played all but one minute of Duke's last five tournament games, including all 80 minutes in the Final Four.

The final five minutes were the most crucial. With 4:24 left, Battier came from the weak side to rebound a Carlos Boozer miss and dunk it. Loren Woods countered with two free throws for Arizona, but Battier followed with an off-balance tip-in of a Dunleavy miss with his back to the basket.

"I was just trying to keep it alive. I actually hit it with the back of my hand, believe it or not," Battier said.

Krzyzewski said, "It was one of the greatest plays I've seen in a championship game. I didn't see how it was possible to make that play. He had an out-of-body experience or something."

Arizona came back again on a Richard Jefferson 15-footer, but Battier made it 77-72 with a dunk on a feed from Williams, then he grabbed two rebounds in the final minute to finish the Wildcats.

"Looking up at the clock, leading by 10 with 10 seconds to go, words can't do justice to how I felt," Battier said.

Though Battier was never in line to be the goat, his late heroics rescued what might've been an uphappy ending. He spent most of the game guarding Woods, and the Wildcats' 7-foot center dominated the first half. Though Duke led 35-33, Woods had 13 points at the break.

Woods finished with a game-high 22 points, but his second-half shots weren't of similar quality as his earlier looks. Battier and Boozer pushed the lanky Woods away from the basket, and he wasn't an offensive factor down the stretch.

"Our inability to get the ball inside because of Boozer and Battier, that was our undoing," Olson said. "They were just physically stronger than Woods. They moved him off the blocks."

That only compounded the Wildcats' struggles, because their starting backcourt of Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas was totally thwarted by Duke, shooting a combined 6-of-28, missing all 12 of their 3-pointers.

Jefferson did his best to keep Arizona close, scoring 19 and making 4-of-8 triples, but once it was clear he was the Wildcats' only real threat, Duke gave him little room to operate.

The Blue Devils, on the other hand, were getting help from virtually everyone. The unheralded Dunleavy scored 18 of 21 points in a seven-minute span of the second half. Williams overcame a 5-of-15 shooting night to finish with 16 points. And Boozer supplied 12 points and 11 rebounds, keeping Duke's offense afloat early.

"The thing with Duke is, you pick your poison," Olson said. "Sometimes it's going to be one guy, another time it's going to be somebody else.

"The one consistent thing is that Battier is going to have a great game. I don't think there's been any question in anyone's mind about him being player of the year. It's probably as unanimous as you're going to find."

After the way Battier played Monday night, can there be any more holdouts?

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