Gene Hackman where are you?

Gene Hackman wasn't on the bench in this one.

Instead, 33-year-old Brad Stevens was at the helm. Stevens and his Butler Bulldogs almost accomplished the unthinkable, but fell 61-59 to the mighty Duke Blue Devils at the NCAA national championship game in Indianapolis tonight.

No Hoosiers ending, but close.

The tiny school from Indianapolis had the home court advantage at the Hinkle Field House, but the shots just didn't fall in for the Bulldogs in the second half -- including the half court shot at the buzzer by Gordon Hayward. Hayward's shot banged off the backboard and off the rim, ending Butler's chance for the crown.

In 1954, Bobby Plump's shot went in at the buzzer as the small school from Milan, Indiana, won the high school state championship game. Plump and his high school teammates were the inspiration behind the hit sports flick, Hoosiers (released in 1986), which starred Hackman as the legendary coach Norman Dale. Plump now owns a restaurant in Indianapolis called Plump's Last Shot.

Plump was among the 70,000 that witnessed the NCAA title game tonight. The conclusion of tonight's title game was almost as dramatic as Milan's victory 56 years ago.

I've seen Hoosiers at least 100 times. If you want to know the truth, I'd watch it another 100 times, before I'd watch Duke win another title. I'm an Arizona fan, not a Duke fan. I must admit that tonight's title game was outstanding...one for the ages.

It was March Madness at its best.