2010 NCAA Tournament: Why the Final Four Teams are Not Surprising at All

Many college basketball fans have been shocked at how two No. 5 seeds, Michigan State and Butler, got through to Indianapolis.

The same group of fans may think the same about West Virginia, who took down Kentucky with the outside game Saturday night.

But these fans should be educated in how these three teams and Duke are more than qualified to be Final Four teams and have a chance to win it all.

Let's start with the team most people picked to win their bracket in Duke. Coach K's team was expected to make it this far thanks to the leadership of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and the second-half excellence of Brian Zoubek. The Blue Devils took care of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Cal, Purdue, and Baylor to make to Indy and have a 25 percent chance of cutting down the nets.

Next is West Virginia. The Mountaineers were overshadowed by Syracuse in the Big East all season and did not grab national attention unless Da'Sean Butler hit a buzzer-beater.

Butler has been clutch for his team all season, but not as clutch as Joe Mazzulla was in the Kentucky win to advance them to Indy. The backup point guard had a career high in points replacing the injured Darryl Bryant. Bryant wants to play this weekend, and if he does not play as effectively as he usually does, Mazzulla and company will be there to help him out.

The Michigan State Spartans are a postseason program, and Tom Izzo is a postseason coach. Most fans figured that Ohio State would be the most successful Big Ten team in the 2010 edition of March Madness, but that was not the case. Michigan State has claimed that title by beating Tennessee, who took down Ohio State in the Sweet 16.

Just like West Virginia, the Spartans have seen a backup point guard step up to lead them. Korie Lucious kept his team's championship hopes alive with a buzzer-beater against Maryland, and that gave the Spartans the momentum to make their Final Four appearance. This season makes it the sixth Final Four appearance for Izzo as a coach with the Spartans and his second year in a row.

Many people discouraged picking the Spartans by name alone, but they have proved them wrong by surviving the toughest bracket and taking a trip south to Indy.

Finally, the Butler Bulldogs. Brad Stevens has had his team in the national rankings all season thanks to a 24-game win streak. To make it 26 straight, the Bulldogs will rely on stars Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, and Matt Howard. The best part of having those three in the lineup is that all three will be back next season to possibly defend a national championship.

Butler's four losses came to Minnesota, Clemson, Georgetown, and UAB, three NCAA tournament teams and an NIT quarterfinalist. I personally am not surprised that Butler was able to conquer Syracuse without Arinze Onuaku and were able to defend Kansas State when it mattered most. The truth is Butler has a very good chance of winning the national championship.

All four teams are more than deserving of making the Final Four, and fans should not look at any of them as "Cinderella" teams because they all have the talent and reputation of being a championship contender.