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After one of the wildest tournaments in recent memory, one in which everyone either took the side that parity was the new norm in college basketball or that this year was an anomaly of a season that featured no great teams, it seems ironically fitting that one of the most consistent elite teams in the modern history of the game is playing in the championship game.

All season coach Mike Krzyzewski told the media and anyone who would listen that this was not one of his greatest teams, that it had serious flaws. But in a tournament where no one has been perfect, Duke was Saturday in its rout of  West Virginia. The dismantling of the scrappy Mountaineers left no doubt that Duke is the favorite heading into the final game of the college basketball season on Monday.

Don’t take my word for how good the Blue Devils looked Saturday night. If the numbers don’t convince you, just ask the man who had one of the best seats in the house.

"They played really, really well," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "I watched a lot of tape, and they've never played that well."

While Duke played its best game of the season, the Butler Bulldogs, who have not lost since December of 2009, snuck in at the last second, playing arguably its worst game of this Mad March. Hitting only 31 percent of their shots, Butler barely broke the 50-point barrier. Their stingy defense, however, once again came to the rescue, holding the Spartans to only 50 points. The semifinal game marked the fifth straight time in the tournament that the Bulldogs held their opponents to 60 points or less, making them the first team to accomplish that feat since the Villanova Wildcats in 1985.

Holding the Blue Devils to below 60 points may be an impossibility. If a Butler fanatic tries to bet you that his team will hold Duke to that, take his money immediately. The Devils looked unstoppable Saturday night.

Despite Duke starting to play like a vintage team, and the desire for everyone to write the "Hoosiers" storyline for the Butler Bulldogs from Indiana, the Bulldogs have played an incredible tournament and are not here by a fluke. You don’t start out the season ranked in the top 15 because people feel sorry for you. And you don’t beat the teams Butler has beaten in this tournament due to luck.

Gordon Hayward has become one of those March treasures whom we come to love for a fleeting moment, like a Stephon Curry (his first year) or a Bryce Drew. He is an amazing scorer from both inside and out, and he could very well outperform Kyle Singler. Singler will have his hands full on the defensive end, which could wear him out and limit him on the offensive end. Luckily for Coach K, he has two great weapons in Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, who knocked down 9 of the 18 threes they took against West Virginia.

Duke's Big Three will attempt to use the three to stretch out a Butler defense that liked to pack it in the paint. If Duke can shoot the ball with the success that they did against the Mountaineers, the Bulldogs are going to be in serious trouble. Duke will get looks outside the arc, as Butler will be concerned about Duke's size inside. And well they should. Seven footer Brian Zoubek may have been the quiet catalyst of the Duke blowout on Saturday. Half of Zoubek's 10 rebounds came on the offensive glass, and he'd often kick back out to shooters to knock down open looks. Additionally, the Devils have the brothers Plumlee (Miles and Mason), both 6-foot-10, coming off the bench, adding to Duke's size, which ranks in the top 10 in the country. Butler on the other hand, befitting its status as a small school from a small conference, is one of the shortest in the country. And that is where the difference in this game will likely come.

Butler's defense has carried them this far in a sweet run that few expected. They will need their best defensive game yet, and their best rebounding game yet to stay with the Blue Devils, who finally seem to have separated themselves as the most outstanding team in a very interesting tournament.