March Madness 2015: Updated Bracket, Championship Odds and Schedule

The NCAA tournament has gone from 68 teams to two. Saturday's Final Four was a crowning achievement for Duke and Wisconsin, as they conquered their final hurdles and earned the right to play for a national championship. 

There's no time to celebrate, because Monday night will see the Blue Devils and Badgers tangle in the biggest game all of these players have had in their careers. 

Here's a look at the schedule for the national title game, as well as whom the oddsmakers are favoring and what to watch for. 

Date	Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network	Spread
Monday, April 6	Duke vs. Wisconsin	9 p.m.	CBS	Wisconsin (-1)

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Duke's run to the title game has seemingly been in the cards since the selection committee put the Blue Devils on the side of the bracket without Kentucky, Wisconsin or Arizona. That's not to say Mike Krzyzewski's team didn't earn its way to this spot. 

The Blue Devils have improved greatly since the season began. They once phoned things in on defense, but this is now a team focused on what's happening when it doesn't have the ball. Coach K's team hasn't allowed more than 61 points in the NCAA tournament thus far. 

On top of that, against a Michigan State team that has been playing outstanding defense all tournament, the Blue Devils shot 52 percent from the floor. 

Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Kentucky head coach John Calipari was impressed by Duke's 20-point win over Michigan State:

There's no denying Duke has earned this chance to play for a championship. Justise Winslow continued to play like a star, dropping 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but don't sell his defense against the Spartans short. ESPN Stats & Info provided some evidence of his defensive prowess:

Say what you want about Michigan State's shooting ability, but Winslow's ability to create problems shouldn't be overlooked. It's hard to say that any team in the country is playing better than the Blue Devils at this moment. 

They are playing Wisconsin, though, which went through a loaded Arizona team in the Elite Eight and stopped the juggernaut from Kentucky to secure a spot in the championship game. It's the Badgers' first chance to play for a championship since winning their lone title in 1941. 

Even though everyone will call Wisconsin's victory over Kentucky an upset, this team had the best player in the country (Frank Kaminsky) and the tournament's breakout star (Sam Dekker). The Wildcats may have more NBA talent, but that has nothing to do with March 2015. 

Kaminsky summed up his Wisconsin team astutely to Jeff Goodman of ESPN:

Combine those unique talents with a head coach in Bo Ryan, who has groomed this team in ways similar to what Krzyzewski did with Duke, and it's not a surprise to see the Badgers here. 

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports summed up Ryan as well as one can in 140 characters:

Kaminsky had 20 points and 11 rebounds against a Kentucky team generally believed to be the best defensive group in the country. Dekker added 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, so there's a fascinating battle of the Badgers' offense against Duke's defense. 

It's shocking to say that because the book on Wisconsin under Ryan has been about a slow-paced attack and winning with defense, but this evolution is why the Badgers are here. 

There's no doubt Wisconsin has had the tougher road to the title game, as Arizona and Wisconsin are on the short list of the five best teams in the country. Duke has only defeated one team (Gonzaga) that might be able to make that claim. 

Yet no one can deny the ability of Krzyzewski to coach his team up in a big spot. There's also the question of how much energy Wisconsin will have left after the emotional 40 minutes against Kentucky. It was also a physical game with a lot of hard fouls and difficult possessions from both teams. 

There's no reason to bet against Wisconsin at this point. Ryan's team has answered the call whenever it's needed to. The Badgers fell short in the Final Four last year, but they seem poised to make up for that missed opportunity with the school's first national title in 74 years.