Ten things to determine who to pull for in the NCAA Men's BBall title game!

OK, time to kick this thing back into gear.

Could you ask for a better David vs. Goliath matchup than Duke vs. Butler? The little unknowns...a presumably non-super athletic group of young kids that make up the poster child for the Mid Majors, vs. the Emperor himself, Coach K, and his squadron of...well, non-super athletic dudes who won't razzle-dazzle you with feats of freakdom but instead will fundamental-ize you to death (think Shane Battier).

Well, maybe Duke doesn't quite embody the typical Yankees-esque favorite persona, but as far as polarizing the nation's college basketball rooting sentiments, I'd say no one does it better than Duke.

Presuming that you are not an alum of either school, and that the fate of your first child does not lie on one team or the other winning, I present you ten "things" to help you determine who you should pull for in tomorrow's Championship tilt:

10. Your bracket.
I actually kind of find it a lame reason to pull for a team based on your bracket, but it's true.... people have pride and/or money riding on these things, so I can cut you a little slack.
Verdict: Self-explanatory. If Duke winning helps your bracket, logically you'll pull for Duke. If Butler winning helps your bracket, then logically you'll pull for Butler.

9. Butler's location. As in, where the heck is this school??
Actually, if you've been paying attention to Final Four coverage, you might've heard that Butler is located in the same city as the Final Four site (Indianapolis), a mere 6 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Verdict: If you fear the unknown, you might be the kind of person to play it safe here and pull for Duke, which you know is for sure in North Carolina....somewhere! If, on the other hand, you embrace the unknown, then you are a risk taker, and you will enjoy pulling for Butler, a team you know nothing about!

8. Pat Neshek.
As a sports fan and as a blog fan, I must pay props to the Butler alum and current Minnesota Twins reliever who was one of the OG athletes to run an actual blog. Kid is sick and a pretty awesome dude too.
Verdict: If you like the Twins, if you are a fan of strikeout-to-walk ratio, or if you read his blog, then your affinities lie with Butler. If, on the other hand, you hate the Twins, love walks, and hate reading, then your affinities lie with Duke.

7. Kurt Vonnegut.
As an English major, I must pay props to the former Butler attendee who simultaneously weirded me out and blew my mind with Cat's Cradle.
Verdict: If you like his books, you'll probably pull for his alma mater, Butler. If his books somehow scarred you for life, you can pay him back now by pulling against his team and go for the Dukies.

6. Academics.
US News ranked Duke the #10 college in America. Butler isn't listed in the national rankings but is a top ten Midwestern college.
Verdict: This seems like a push.

5. Richard Nixon and/or Ron Paul
The former President graduated from Duke with a law degree. Ron Paul also graduated from Duke.
Verdict: If you love scandals and/or somewhat crazy ideas, Duke is your team. If you are a scandal stopper and want to quash quirkiness, Butler is a little more your style.

4. Shane Battier.
The man does it all and seems to go totally underappreciated. Gotta love his non-glamorous contributions, especially if you own him in fantasy basketball.
Verdict: If you like Shane Battier, you like Duke. If you can't stand Shane Battier, then you can pull against Duke, Kobe Bryant.

3. You are American.
How can you NOT pull for the underdog? It's the American thing to do! See: America vs. the British, 1776, 1812, 2008, etc. On the other hand, America does enjoy quite a nice position atop the world in just about... well, everything. You might be used to being the best, and Duke, whether you like them or not, has come to embody "the best" in college basketball.
Verdict: If you like to align yourself with things American, pulling for the underdog is one of those things, and you will pull for Butler. If, however, you hate aligning yourself with such things - you are from a different country, for example -you are free to pull for the favorite and are a Duke backer.

2. Wunderkind coach Brad Stevens.
He's only 33, and in only his 3rd season as Butler's head coach, all he has done is compile an 89-14 record while leading his Bulldogs to the tourney 3 years in a row, not to mention Butler's first NCAA title game in school history. And oh yeah, there's all that stuff about how he grew up only minutes from Butler, and this is his dream job, blah-bl-blah-bl-blah.
Verdict: If you like feel-good stories, Butler is your team. If Brad Stevens is the kind of guy you'd just love to punch because he's just got everything figured out, then you might be going with Duke on this one!

1. Coach K.
Some people think he's the best thing to happen to college basketball coaching since John Wooden. Other people think he's the devil. Note: he did lead Team USA to Olympic Gold in Beijing...so your feelings for Thing #3 might come into play here.
Verdict: Your call.

So there you have it. I didn't bother coming up with a point system here, but my guess is... if you have more points in favor for you to pull for one team or the other.... well, go ahead and pull for that team!