HOUSTON—Capping off a wild tournament defined by surprising underdog victories, the NCAA awarded the national championship title Monday to Duke University in the final upset of March Madness. “After 40 minutes of riveting basketball between San Diego State and the University of Connecticut in a tourney where it often seemed like anyone’s game, it is my privilege to award the championship trophy to head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said as Duke players and fans stormed the court to celebrate while the defeated Aztecs and Huskies squads headed back to their locker rooms in disappointment. “We’ve had a March Madness for the ages, marked by traditional powerhouse schools losing shocking upsets to schools few people have heard of. But it should surprise no one that the balance of power has been restored, and Duke just picked up its sixth national championship. Let the history books show that the Blue Devils won a thrilling, hard-fought game over Kentucky after beating Kansas in the Final Four round, with lesser-known teams like San Diego State, Florida Atlantic University, and Creighton serving as fun little footnotes.” Following the game, the NCAA unveiled restrictions that would prevent all but the 10 most popular teams nationally from recruiting new players for next season.
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