NCAA Championship Game - Indianapolis, Indiana

#5 Butler (33-4) vs. #1 Duke (34-5)

It is the championship game no one expected, the Butler Bulldogs, just 6 miles from their campus, taking on the mighty Duke Blue Devils.

Butler got by Michigan State 52-50 on Saturday, to earn their first trip to an NCAA Championship game. Somehow they won despite having one of their best players, Shelvin Mack on the bench for most of the second half, and also while shooting just 30%. It was an ugly game and an ugly win, but none of that matters now.

On the other side was Duke, which completely manhandled West Virginia 78-57. Duke's big three of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith combined for 63 of the Blue Devils 78 points. Duke shot lights out and completely decimated what had been a fantastic West Virginia defense.

Butler might be without F Matt Howard on Monday after he suffered a mild concussion in the game on Saturday. That would make what is already a tall task even harder. However, one area the Bulldogs can match up with Duke, where most teams can't, is there guard play. Gordon Hayward and Mack will need to play well and go toe to toe with Scheyer and Smith. Butler F Willie Veasley will have to play tough defense and try to frustrate Singler.

As soon as Duke got done crushing West Virginia on Saturday night, my first thoughts were that there was no way they were going to beat Butler by less than 10. They have the size advantage, they are far better offensively, and Butler just got done somehow winning a game where they went without a basket for ten minutes. Then I started watching the Final Four post-game segments and everyone was picking Duke. One thing I have learned in my 20+ years of watching sports is that when the media is all on one side, the opposite has a tendency of happening. No one is giving Butler a chance in this game, but remember, no one gave Butler a chance against Syracuse, Kansas State, or Michigan State. I could be boring and pick Duke to win like everyone else, or I could be a renegade and call Butler to pull off the upset. I have no real logical reason for taking the Bulldogs, but I have been wrong before, who cares if I am wrong again?

Prediction: Butler 60, Duke 58