Duke and Wisconsin battle for NCAA men's basketball title
The Wisconsin Badgers and the Duke Blue Devils tip off Monday night for the NCAA men's basketball title at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. Kentucky, the team expected to be in the final, will have to watch at home.
In Indianapolis, Badger-mania is in full effect, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. People are still buzzing about Wisconsin's thrilling victory in the final seconds over Kentucky, which had not lost all season and were heavily favored to win it all.
A number one seed isn't really a Cinderella, but the Wisconsin Badgers were certainly underdogs on Saturday night. But with one giant slain, Wisconsin now faces a new Goliath: Duke.
"Wisconsin is every bit as good as Kentucky," Duke's head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in press conference.
"We're going to try to represent the Big 10, for sure," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said.
Wisconsin is led by self-described goofball "Frank the Tank" Kaminsky. The national player of the year is known for his smooth moves on the court.
When asked whether he considers himself "the man," Kaminsky said, "I don't know. ... I wasn't prepared for a question of this magnitude."
Wisconsin also has a secret weapon: their 82-year-old assistant equipment manager Otto Puls. For years, the badgers' starters have rubbed Puls' crew-cut head before every tip off.
"I guess it's a good luck charm, I don't know," Puls said.
They did it again before the Kentucky game.
"Otto's the man. I look up to Otto," Kaminsky said. "He's still out there refereeing all of our practices. He doesn't ever make the right call, but he's still there."
"They treat me like a grandfather, and I just think they're the greatest kids that we've ever had," Puls said.
The senior-dominated Badgers lost by 10 points earlier this season to Duke, which is led by freshman Jahlil Okafor. But both teams have grown and evolved. Their coaches said their matchup in December - Duke won 80-70 - will have little to do with the game Monday night.