Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan.
I will be the first to admit that I am not terribly excited about this year’s Final Four. Yes, it is the Final Four. Yes, I will be watching because I am a sports fan. But it is not something I am going to anticipate all week. In my roughly 20 years or of picking a March Madness bracket, this is the first time EVER that I have not gotten one team right in the Final Four. My Final Four consisted of Villanova, Kentucky, Kansas State, and Kansas… and I know a lot of you had at least two of those teams in your bracket. Some of you may have had West Virginia or Duke, but how many of you had Michigan State or Butler? I actually had Butler in the Elite Eight, but not the Final Four. Nevertheless, here we are with our four teams, and we will make the best of it. CBS has to be cringing at the ratings that could be coming their way. Duke, and to some extent, Michigan State, have national followings, but the other two really do not. (Do you think the casual fan can name more than five players participating in Indianapolis Saturday night?) However, putting aside ratings and name recognition, I think the best matchup would be the Duke Blue Devils against the Butler Bulldogs.
I know the popular sentiment is going to want to see Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski battle it out for the right to cut down the nets ( Sports Geek, in his love for Izzo, is hyping that dream matchup today). But in following the underlying theme of this year’s NCAA tournament, I want a powerhouse versus Cinderella matchup. Butler’s status as a Cinderella-type sleeper team Butler is debatable, but we will actually touch on that in another debate later this week.
Butler, in case you have not noticed, has had a very strong season. They have not lost since December 22, 2009. They went undefeated in the Horizon League. They have a coach in Brad Stevens who looks young enough to be the son of the other three coaches. The media guide states he is 33 years old, but I don’t believe it. Either way, out of the four teams left, Butler is the team that is the obvious underdog.
Duke, meanwhile, fully expected to be in this position. Even as a number one seed they have had their share of haters – including me – but here they are at their first Final Four in six years. They won yesterday despite Kyle Singler not having a single field goal, as he went 0-10 from the field. But Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith stepped up to help the Blue Devils beat the crowd favorite Baylor.
It will not exactly be David versus Goliath, but keep in mind this is unchartered water for Butler. Butler also would have strong support from the crowd, as their campus is right there in Indianapolis. But Duke, love them or hate them, has the national following and is the favorite. That is the kind of matchup we need in this season’s championship game.
