NCAA Tournament championship game: Duke outlasts Wisconsin for 5th national title

1. Mitt Romney nailed his NCAA tournament bracket.

2. Mitt Romney is joking about that 10K bet, but also he really does that.

After the NCAA men’s basketball championship Senator Claire McCaskill reminded the Internet that bad sports opinions can come from anywhere.

That’s a pretty hot take on one-and-dones! People had feelings about it.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan was not happy with how the national championship game was officiated and made his opinion known with some subtle jabs about how much contact there was during the game. It turns out Ryan wasn’t the only Badger taking subtle shots at the refs after the game.

Koenig is referring to a play during the second half when he caught an elbow from Tyus Jones as Jones went up with a shot. Not only was Jones not called for a foul, but he made the shot and Koenig was called for a foul. Jones made the free throw for a pivotal three-point play.

Duke used an impressive come-from-behind effort to defeat Wisconsin, 68-63 and win the national championship. Though the crowd was a majority red, Duke students showed up and were loud until the end. Here’s the full view of the scene from the stands and the court:

Ryan, speaking to CBS’ Tracy Wolfson, made the most of his compulsory interview and took a snide shot at the officials without, of course, ever directly pointing a finger at the officials.

Ryan reiterated his point during the postgame press conference:

Yes, “One Shining Moment” is about your new national champion. And it’s about Kentucky losing despite not having done so a single time since last year’s national championship game. And it’s about all we’ve unceasingly focused on for the past week: Kentucky, Michigan State, Wisconsin and, of course, Duke.

But what all have you stored in the back of your mind over the past three weeks? Did you forget about R.J. Hunter’s buzzer-beater to beat Baylor, and his dad falling off his stool on the Georgia State bench? How about North Carolina State’s last-second win over LSU? Weren’t there 10 one-point games on the first day of the tournament? Was it closer to 100?

The Duke Blue Devils have won the NCAA Tournament, providing joy and instant memories for their players and fans. We couldn’t be happier for those people and congratulate them on their success.

However, Duke’s thrill means that 67 other teams had to experience agony. Painful, heartbreaking agony. This usually includes crying, and the Internet likes to capture those moments because we are horrible monsters. Whether it’s the small schools having their dream seasons end or traditional powerhouses tripping up short to the bemusement of everyone else, there was no shortage of sad fans in 2015.

Via CBS

Watt, of course, played at Wisconsin, whereas Wozniacki is a Wisconsin fan because ... well, she’s from Denmark, so her only real connection to Wisconsin is that she’s hanging out with Watt.

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams had a good seat for the national title game between Wisconsin and Duke. Instead of taking that spot, he decided to make a lovely tribute to the father of Badgers coach Bo Ryan.

Butch Ryan passed away in August 2013. Before his death, he indicated that he always wanted to see his son coach against Duke for the national title.

The 2015 national championship will pit two of the country’s best offenses against each other with both teams coming off huge wins for a chance at a title.

While the Final Four games aired on TBS, the title game will shift to a primetime slot on CBS. Jim Nantz will handle the play-by-play duties -- the 25th time he’s called the national championship game. He will be joined by analysts Grant Hill and Bill Raftery with reporter Tracy Wolfson. The crew also worked the Final Four games. There will be additional coverage online with viewers able to stream the action live with March Madness Live.

Duke and Wisconsin have evolved considerably from a December contest that the Blue Devils won 80-70 in Madison. Now both teams will face off with considerably higher stakes in the NCAA title game.

Even so, Duke likely won’t be able to match Wisconsin’s offensive power shot for shot. A few made three-pointers will help alleviate that issue, so the Blue Devils will likely need a better performance shooting behind the arc than Saturday’s 2-of-10 outing.