After a hometown lead-in for the Final Four, with Indianapolis-based Butler facing Michigan State at 6:07 p.m. in the national semifinal Saturday, CBS Sports set Duke vs. West Virginia as the late game. The tip time is tentatively set for 8:47 p.m. (depending, of course, on how long it takes the first game to finish).
TV darling Duke -- the only No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four -- appropriately gets the later start because it drives ratings.
Even though the program has not reached the Final Four in five years, Duke remains a known commodity. Casual fans know Coach K. And, despite the rants of ESPN's Dick Vitale and others, people do either love or hate the Blue Devils. That makes for familiarity, and for strong TV ratings.