The March to Madness

Duke-Butler an Instant Classic? Yes and No

Everybody is still buzzing about Monday night's Duke-Butler championship game, but according to the Wall Street Journal, it was only the seventh-best game of the tournament.

The Journal analyzed all 64 games and ranked them based on six criteria, including the number of lead changes, the teams' combined shooting percentage, whether the underdog prevailed, how close the game was with two minutes left, in which round the game occurred and how many potentially game-changing shots there were in the final minute.

The best game? Tennessee's 76-73 third-round victory over Ohio State. The score was tied with two minutes left and the teams shot a combined 45% (Duke and Butler shot only 39%). In addition, there were two lead changes in the final minute and two game-tying shot attempts by Ohio State's Evan Turner in the closing seconds.

Old Media

A look at how Monday night's championship game was played on the front pages of newspapers in North Carolina and Indiana. Click an image for an enlarged view.

That Blows

Duke beats Butler, 61-59, to win its fourth title, setting off a celebration in Cameron Indoor and outside on campus.

Final Four Odds

Duke must be beat!

The Blue Devils are 7/5 favorites to win the championship, according to odds posted by Bodog. West Virginia, Duke's opponent in Saturday's second game, is 2/1. Butler is 4/1 and Michigan State 9/2.

Jon Scheyer of the Blue Devils is 4/1 to win tournament most outstanding player honors. Teammate Kyle Singler is 5/1, the same odds given to Da'Sean Butler of West Virginia.

Complete odds are after the jump. If you're looking for odds on a game, click here. For matchups, click here.

Coaches and players in the Final Four are making the interview rounds this week. Check them out at Sports Radio Interviews.

Detroit Coach Has No Mercy on Homestate Spartans

Coaches normally don't like to play favorites, especially when asked to pick a winner in a Final Four game. But Detroit Mercy's Ray McCallum, when asked about Saturday's matchup between Michigan State and Butler, laid it on the line.

"Butler to win a close one," he said. "Final score will probably be in the 60s."

McCallum's team went 0-2 against Butler this season and he said the way to beat the Bulldogs is to attack them inside.

"Get [Matt] Howard in foul trouble. Without him they get small inside. [Gordon] Hayward is not a strong guy. You have to attack those two."