There has never been a national championship game as consequential as this.  Butler has become more than just a plucky midmajor underdog, they now represent all that is good with college basketball.  Their run to the final has been an inspiration to all the small and mid-size schools that have seen their seasons crash down at the hands of more powerful schools, and in some cases, at the hands of more powerful Athletic Directors.  They are a reminder that no amount of money and no room full of rich white guys can stop five unknown basketball players from defeating five more celebrated players once the ball is tipped.  Duke, while a very nice program, are now the enemies of college basketball.  If they win this game, it means that the NCAA has won.  It means the NCAA once again got their favored programs to the promised land of more cash, and that the NCAA Tournament will remain a place where only the Big Boys get to lift the trophy.  The status quo will be preserved.

This is also it for the tournament as we know it.  Big TV dollars are calling the NCAA, and it will allow them to expand the field to 96 teams and add an extra layer of protection for their big-money schools with arbitrary byes into the round of 64.  Surprise, surprise, it will be the little Butlers of the world that will have one extra hoop to jump through in order to have the priveledge of actually playing the bluebloods.  If you think a 96 team tournament gives every school the same chance of winning the national championship, you are a moron.  We all know who will get preferential treatment, and thats why tonight's game is so important.  This is the last true NCAA Tournament, and the very last chance for the less-recognized schools to knock the elites of college basketball on their collective asses, and hold the biggest F-You (the national championship trophy) aloft as the last true national champions.  Butler has most of the country in its corner, but Duke has the big money in theirs.  A Butler win tonight will seal in the magic of the 64-team tournament for all eternity, and serve as an embarrassing reminder of how bad an idea a 96-team tournament really is.   At this time next year, on a random Tuesday we will be watching the 13th best Big East team do battle with the 9th best squad from the Big Ten in the new NCAA Super Mega Tournament, and hopefully we will at least have the memories of a Butler national championship to get us through the madness and greed.