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Columnist Dean Juipe: No Parity as Duke Rules Again

Sixty-five teams may qualify for the NCAA Tournament every year, but it seems as if 50 or so are simply window dressing.

They're involved in the early stages of March Madness and are happy for the exposure and elated to collect their fees.

They accept their congratulations and are gracious in their moments of glory.

But they're not serious threats to the sport's elite programs, and, as the tournament whittles down toward its championship game they have long since been forgotten. I

t happened again this year, of course, and by Monday night teams such as Monmouth, UNC-Greensboro, Eastern Illinois and Winthrop were back home with the rest of us and watching heavyweights Duke vs. Arizona in the televised title game from Minneapolis.

Some people appreciate the fact there is no real parity in college basketball, and there's a line of thought that says dynasties are good for sports in that they build familiarity with specific programs and teams.

For those fans, Duke's 82-72 victory in an up-tempo if somewhat wildly paced finale was likely reassuring if not outright soothing.

It was the Blue Devils' third national championship and sixth title game in the last 12 years. Arizona, while not quite in Duke's historic caliber, played in the final game of the season for the second time in five years.

It isn't that outsiders wouldn't be welcome in the Final Four, it's just that they can't seem to get there.

Since the NCAA went to a 64-team tourney in 1985, 35 schools have reached at least one Final Four and all but six of those schools played in the six highest profile leagues (the ACC, the Big East, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac 10 and the Southeastern).

Only twice -- Massachusetts in 1996 and Utah in '98 -- has a team from outside that major-conference loop found its way to the Final Four. Only one truly low seed -- No. 11 Louisiana State in '86 -- has ever reached the Final Four.

This season, for the second time in three years, the teams that opened ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the Associated Press poll were paired in the climactic game.

You see where this is headed: College basketball is the antithesis of the National Football League, where seemingly every team is capable of making a substantial playoff run any given year.

I like the NFL's way of doing things a little better. I like the suspense of watching a season unfold.

I like seeing a team such as the St. Louis Rams winning the 2000 Super Bowl after opening in Las Vegas at 125-1. Conversely, it was 2-1 on Duke and 7-1 on Arizona when the season began. So it came as no surprise when each reached the championship game, even if the Wildcats had taken a disjointed route due to injuries and NCAA suspensions during the early part of the season.

On the plus side, it's clear the best team in the sport won the national championship. Duke's 3-point artistry was as good as advertised, Mike Dunleavy and Shane Battier were sensational in taking over the second half of the game, and the Blue Devils wear the crown well. But they've been fitted for it so many times it ought to fit well. They're among the few leading a charmed existence.

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