NCAA Title Game Between Duke and Butler Will Be Played on Butler's Home Turf

The Duke Blue Devils smashed the WVU Mountaineers in Saturday's NCAA semifinals 78-57. After a six-year absence from the Final Four, the Duke Blue Devils will face Butler's Bulldogs on Monday for the NCAA title. It's going to be a championship game with a David and Goliath air about it. Butler is tiny when compared to Duke with student enrollment of just 4,512 versus 14,075 for Duke. Butler certainly hasn't seemed tiny on the court winning twenty-five games straight as they have made their way to the NCAA title game.

Let's face it, Duke has a long history of winning high stakes NCAA games, it's basically expected of them. Butler has brought a lot of excitement to the Sweet 16 this year and when it comes down to the last two teams standing, sports fans have a long history of rooting for the underdog. Butler will engage the Blue Devils on their home turf in Indiana, which is already buzzing with anticipatory energy in a way that only the Hoosier State can. In Indiana, there is a familiarity with this storyline as well as the emotions that come along with it. Basketball is practically a recognized religion in small towns across Indiana. The people of Indiana have grown up listening to stories about big games and the players and coaches who played them. This one will likely be talked about in much the same way for years to come.

At the end of the day, statistics are just numbers-no one knows what will happen on Monday. There will be a lot of cash changing hands, many discussions about odds, radio talk shows talking trash about one team or the other, lots of wishing, dreaming, and speculating. There is no doubt that people are inspired by a story like the one playing out at the NCAA Championships this year.

It's undeniable that one of these two teams will see their dream come true on Monday while the other will feel the sting of what could have been-a bitter pill to swallow. Regardless of how it plays out, Butler and Duke have earned it and both deserve to be there. May the best team win.

Sources:
Butler Sports
Education Portal
NCAA