bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
INDIANAPOLIS -- Even before Duke's team bus passed Lucas Oil Stadium on the way to the hotel Wednesday night, junior guard Nolan Smith caught a glimpse of the massive structure where the Blue Devils will do battle in the Final Four on Saturday.
"I actually saw it from the plane," Smith said. "I just started smiling that we were about to land here for the Final Four.
"It hit me then. ... It definitely became real."
While the chance to play in the Final Four is a new experience for Smith and his teammates, regardless of venue, this isn't the first time the basketball hotbed that is Indianapolis has opened its arms to a group of college basketball players chasing their sport's ultimate dream.
When Butler, located just five miles outside of downtown Indianapolis, and Michigan State tip things off Saturday at 6:07 p.m., followed shortly thereafter by Duke-West Virginia, the city's sixth Final Four will commence.
Smith and his coach both have personal ties to the Final Four in Indy, the site of many a memorable moment in March lore.
In 1980, Smith's father competed in the first Final Four in Indy, helping Louisville win the title over UCLA.
The Final Four returned to town in 1991, a signature year for Duke basketball.
"Great, great memories -- we won our first national championship there," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I've always felt over the years that Indianapolis is as good a Final Four setting as any. Having it right downtown, Indianapolis is such a beautiful city, and they've done a great job with their downtown area."
While the Blue Devils have nothing but fond memories of Indy -- the 1991 title is famous for Duke's victory over undefeated UNLV in the semifinals -- rival North Carolina has logged as many frequent flyer miles to Indy as anyone but hasn't punched a ticket.
The Tar Heels appeared in three of the previous five Final Fours held in Indy -- in '91, '97 and 2000 -- but they've never even advanced to a title game.
In 1991, UNC rather than Duke was supposed to advance to the final, but Dean Smith lost a showdown with Roy Williams and Kansas, and got ejected in the process.
In 1997, UNC was one of three No. 1 seeds victimized by Arizona on its way to an unlikely title. In 2000, a UNC team that advanced to the Final Four as a No. 8 seed fell to Florida in the semis before Michigan State earned its first NCAA crown since Magic Johnson and Co. triumphed in 1979.
All told, Michigan State is 7-0 in NCAA Tournament games played in Indy but now must face a Butler team playing in its back yard.
"I like Indy. It's Big Ten country," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. "But unfortunately now we play a team that's the hometown team and maybe the darlings of the tournament."
When Izzo's team won the regional title in Indy last year to advance to the Final Four -- where the Spartans fell to UNC in the final -- Izzo took the time to collect some of rubble from the site of the Spartans' 2000 triumph.
The RCA Dome, which hosted Indy's last four Final Fours, was demolished in 2008. In addition to the 1991, 1997 and 2000 events, it played hosted to the 2006 Final Four that included No. 11 seed George Mason and ended with Florida winning its first of two consecutive titles -- the first team to repeat since Duke in '91 and '92.
This will be the first Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened in 2008, but certainly not the last. It's primarily the home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts but is the first building ever built with the needs of the Final Four specifically in minds.
While most football stadiums have to rely on creative set-ups for basketball that typically render some seats unusable, Lucas Oil Stadium will seat approximately 7,000 more fans for basketball than it does football, welcoming roughly 70,000 fans Saturday.
The arena already is scheduled to host the Final Four again in 2015, but Indianapolis probably would be poised to host again regardless of facilities.
"Indianapolis is such a good town and sports city," Krzyzewski said. "There's such a spirit there."
