The Rule of 88...

Butler is going to win the National Title this year; it's basically written in the stars. And here's why...

In 1988, Kansas was a six seed, and no one's favorite to win it all. In the second round, they met a scrappy and determined Murray State team that took them to the wire, before Kansas pulled it out in the closing seconds. Kansas rode the momentum of that game all the way to the Final Four, which just happened to take place in Kansas's back yard of Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas eventually went on to win the National Title.

Flash forward to 2010. Butler is a five seed, and no one's favorite to win it all. In the second round, they met a scrappy and determined Murray State team that took them to the wire, before Butler pulled it out in the closing seconds. Butler rode the momentum of that game all the way to the Final Four, which just happens to be taking place in Butler's back yard of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kinda' weird, huh? You just can't make this stuff up, folks. Now, of course, Butler has to do their part by beating two more teams, but you kinda see how they're a team of destiny right now. They'll play Michigan State on Saturday, and if they win, will face the winner of the Duke-West Virginia game on Monday.

It's a tall order for Butler, to be sure, but the Bulldogs have proven they can beat anyone by beating both Syracuse and Kansas State on their way to the Final Four. They won't see anything in the Final Four that they haven't seen (and beaten) already, so the Bulldogs shouldn't be intimidated by any of the other three teams they'll compete with for the National Title.

So, when Butler enjoys their one (and probably only) shining moment this weekend, just remember you heard it here first folks. The Rule of 88 has spoken: Butler will win it all.


Note: Special thanks to our friends over at the Travis Turner Sports Show for coining the name "The Rule of 88". We had already discussed this little tidbit, and scheduled this article to talk about the interesting connections between this year's tourney and the one in 1988, but they're the one that came up with the catchy name, so we borrowed it from them.