NCAA Tournament Championship 2010 Odds
NCAA Tournament Championship 2010 odds had Duke as a big -7 ½ favorite vs. Butler at Sports Interaction.com (see website here).
Gordon Hayward had 19 points and nine rebounds, including one with 2 seconds left that sealed the game for Butler on Saturday. They beat Michigan State 52-50.
Butler (33-4) now plays Duke in Monday night's title game. In its hometown, no less.
"We've been talking about the next game all year, and it's great to be able to say the next game's for a national championship," Hayward said.
Butler has a total enrollment of just 4,200 and plays in the shadows of both Indiana and Purdue.
"If I was not playing, I'd be a Butler fan," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "I like they way they play, I like their story. They play like a Big Ten team."
Butler became the fourth team in NCAA tournament history to hold its first five opponents under 60 points.
The key for Butler in moving on to its first title game was its ability to force turnovers and convert them into points, according to ESPN.com.
Meanwhile, Duke plays in its first NCAA Tournament Championship game since 2001, beating West Virginia decisively on Saturday by a score of 78-57.
The Blue Devils (34-5) were the only No. 1 seed to make it to the Final Four.
Early trending had Duke getting just over 70 percent of the backing from gamblers.
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