Butler... "Hoosiers", Karma, and the Ultimate Bracketbusters

Who's ready for some March Madness?  I've hung it up on my Wahoos again.  Every year there's the slim hope that something tragic will happen to the boys over at the research triangle, like a bad case of the gout.  It will run through the locker room like a stripper through a lacrosse party.  Okay, not a good comparison.  But they'll be there.  The Dukes, the Carolinas, the Butlers.

Wait one minute!  Did someone say Butler?  Yes, ever since George Mason made it to the Final Four a couple years back, I'm looking for my sleeper.  And this year, it's going to be Butler. 

Yes, Davidson is the sleeper that everyone will be talking about.  But just like the small North Carolina town where Davidson hails, so to are their chances of advancing to the second round.  Small, very small.  Yep, I'm sticking with Butler. 

No, I like their chances because I liken them to Hoosiers.  No, not that Indiana team, but the movie. 

"Let's win this one for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here!" 

Hang on, Butler is in Indiana.  This is eerie.  Better yet, Finkle Fieldhouse is also where they filmed the championship game of "Hoosiers."  Isn't that where Butler plays?  It can't be!  Yes, in fact it is!  Now we're talking mystical!  Ladies and gentlemen, Butler has to be your pick.  Forget mid-major, strength of schedule, RPI, and all the other crap that they feed us.  If for anything else, pick them for karma.  Earl Hickey would be proud! 

So this year, when the NCAA tournament consumes my two flat screens in the man cave, I'll be looking not just at the game, but in the stands as well.  No, not for celebrities, but for Gene Hackman. 

You have to remember that speech, like you were in the locker room.  I can say it verbatim.  If you are a true sports fan, you can too.  Hang your hoops hopes on Butler my friends, and I won't say "I told ya so!"