Basketball: Men's NCAA

A special senior wins it all

 In his senior year he was selected national player of the year, and national defensive player of the year for a third straight season. He led Duke a third straight No. 1 ranking in the final poll of the season and the Blue Devils won their third straight Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title.

 The well-spoken Battier seemed to have it all. He didn't until April 2, when Duke beat Arizona 82-72 to win the school's third national championship and Battier's first.

 "It's complete," he said after a long embrace with coach Mike Krzyzewski. "All that's left for me is to ride off into the sunset on a white horse."

 Not long after Battier left for the NBA with degree and title in hand, two of college basketball's most celebrated coaches returned to the game.

 Bob Knight, fired by Indiana for what the school called a pattern of misconduct, was hired to revive a struggling program at Texas Tech. Rick Pitino, who had left college basketball for a second stint in the NBA, was chosen to replace Denny Crum at Louisville.

 While Duke methodically advanced to the Final Four, Arizona took an emotional route, Michigan State made another appearance and Maryland got there for the first time.

 Bobbi Olson, wife of Arizona coach Lute Olson and an important part of the Wildcats' program, died Jan. 1 of cancer. Olson took some time off, and when he returned to the team he coached it within one victory of a national championship.

 "This year I learned so much about life and so much about how I need to be for the rest of my life," Arizona forward Richard Jefferson said.

 Michigan State, in its third straight trip to the Final Four, was trying to become the first repeat champion since Duke in 1992. That ended with a semifinal loss to Arizona.

 Maryland and Duke played what had to be the strangest four-game series. In each of the games the team that lost had at least a 10-point lead, and that included the national semifinal when the Terrapins went up by 22 points in the first half.

 Duke and Maryland might not play four times again this season, but they couldn't get any closer in the preseason Top 25 as Nos. 1 and 2.

 During the offseason, there was much hand-wringing over players who ended up jumping to the NBA, including: All-Americans Joseph Forte of North Carolina and Troy Murphy of Notre Dame; three undergraduates from Arizona's national runner-up; a load of freshmen, like Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall and Zach Randolph of Michigan State; and four high school centers.

 Still, much of the talk before the season was about Texas Tech's hiring of Knight, whose three national championships were always overshadowed by his temper. Another hot topic was Pitino and how he would be received in a state where he led Kentucky to a national championship in 1996.

 For both, arms were wide open.

 Texas Tech sold all its season tickets in 11/2 days, doubling its total to 13,000. Membership in the Red Raider booster club grew by 25 percent to 4,000. A student booster club that began in February reached 5,600 members, making it the nation's largest. Donations to the library grew at a remarkable rate under Knight's urging.

 "It's worked out well for both parties," Texas Tech president David Schmidly said. "And I'm quite sure it's only going to get better."

 Pitino, on the other hand, had to follow a Hall of Fame coach in Crum, who retired after 30 years and two national championships at Louisville. Some weren't happy with the way Crum seemed to be forced into leaving and others didn't want Pitino, who had been a bust in his recent stint with the Boston Celtics and who will always be linked with rival Kentucky.

 "When I took over (Kentucky), everyone was embarrassed," Pitino said, referring to the NCAA probation that left the program on the verge of ruin. "It had to be built back up with integrity. When I left, it was not only built up, but it was a model program. One game a year, we'll get it on. Outside of that, I'll always root for them."

 College basketball lost one of its greatest ambassadors in 2001. Al McGuire died on Jan. 25 at age 72 after a long illness.

 McGuire will be known more for his sense of humor and street smarts than even the national championship he won with Marquette in 1977, the year he retired from the game.

 A native New Yorker, McGuire was a maverick who stood up to the NCAA when he didn't like where his team was being sent in the 1970 tournament. He decided to play in the NIT instead, and Marquette won it. As a result, a rule was passed that barred a team from turning down the NCAA and playing in the NIT.