Final Four Betting: A Look at the Butler Bulldogs
Butler Bulldogs
(32-4, West Region)
Sportsbook.com sponsors our looks at the Final Four teams that are going to be playing on Saturday night! For our first capsule, we’ll analyze how the Butler Bulldogs won the West Region and what you can expect out of them this weekend!
How they got here: The Bulldogs successfully dismissed #12 UTEP 77-59, #13 Murray State 54-52, #1 Syracuse 63-59, and #2 Kansas State 63-56 for one of the tougher routes to the Final Four in Indianapolis. They also won the Horizon League without much incident, going a perfect 20-0 in conference play including two wins in the Horizon Tournament.
Season Highlights: It’s hard to just pick a few highlights from a season that has already had 32 wins in it, but the Bulldogs really were made on BracketBusters weekend when they absolutely trampled the upstart Siena Saints, who were the Metro Atlantic champs and a #13 seed in this tournament. The marquee victory over Ohio State in the regular season at home was also incredible. The Bulldogs have won 24 straight games, easily the longest winning streak in the nation.
Leading Scorer: F Gordon Hayward is a legitimate NBA prospect, and he is leading this team in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Hayward is also the team’s leading rebounder at 8.2 rebounds per game, and he’s coming off of a 22 point showing against Kansas State in the Elite 8. He is averaging 16.0 points per game in this tournament.
Player to Watch: G Shelvin Mack has the ability to be a real sharpshooter. He nailed three triples against the Wildcats to help pave the road to victory. He does a little bit of everything as well, averaging 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, and he’s also second on the squad in steals with 49 on the year. Mack is also only committing a shade over two turnovers per game, and has reached double digits in scoring in his L/8 games, averaging 16.4 PPG in that stretch.
Expectations: Unlike George Mason before them, this is a mid-major that really has a chance to win the whole thing. The Bulldogs are going to be playing in their own backyard in Indianapolis, and they clearly draw the easier route to the Final Four in relation to the other half of the bracket. Don’t be surprised to see the Horizon League champs playing for all the marbles on Monday.
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