Villains or not, Duke did the dirty work for this trip to the Final Four

Villains or not, Duke did the dirty work for this trip to the Final Four Duke center Brian Zoubek stood just outsideenergy saving lamp the three-point line clutching a piece of net so tightly that if he didn't let go for two months, the strand would turn into a diamond. Zoubek turned and watched Krzyzewski clip the final strand to release a net that will be enshrined in Durham. Then Zoubek turned back and smiled.

"It's surreal," the senior said. "I haven't even grasped the whole situation yet. I mean, we're in the Final Four -- someplace we haven't been close to in my four years. People talk about us being the one seed and how we were favored, but until you're actually here, you don't really believe that you're actually going to get there."

We expect Duke to be in the Final Four because we remember a time when it seemed the Blue Devils made the Final Four every year, or at least every other year. From 1986 to 2004, Duke reached the Final Four 10 times. But the oldest of these Devils were sophomores in high school the last time Duke cut down nets after a region final. All they've heard are questions about why they haven't carried on the tradition of Hurley and Laettner and Battier. They've never experienced this kind of joy, and it showed Sunday when the clock struck zero on Duke's 78-71 win against Baylor.

Guard Jon Scheyer leaped like a Super Mario Brothers character. Forward Kyle Singler looked for someone to hug. Guard Nolan Smith, Sunday's hero, joined the dogpile. For most of this tournament, the Devils acted like cyborgs. Sunday, they looked like what they are: 18- to 22-year-old kids relishing the greatest moment of their young lives. So go ahead and resume hating them on Tuesday. For a day, look at them the same way you would the players from Butler, Michigan State and West Virginia -- as a bunch of young menenergy saving lamp who worked extraordinarily hard to reach a common goal.