Final Four Betting: Michigan State Spartans vs. Butler Bulldogs
 Michigan State Spartans (28-8, 15-20 ATS) |
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 Butler Bulldogs (32-4, 16-20 ATS) |
If you successfully picked the #5 Michigan State Spartans and #5 Butler Bulldogs in the Final Four, you’re either a complete genius or a total liar. Those are the two teams that are very unpredictably going to face off at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night for the right to go to the NCAA Tournament Final on Monday. After taking care of both #12 New Mexico State and #4 Maryland in the first week of this tournament, Sparty dismissed #9 Northern Iowa (59-52) and #6 Tennessee (70-69) to reach the Final Four. The Bulldogs took the hardest road to Indianapolis in spite of the fact that it looked as though that road would be incredibly easy after one week. Butler had knocked off #12 UTEP and #13 Murray State, but wins over #1 Syracuse (63-59) and #2 Kansas State (63-57) makes it a very deserving champion of the West Region.
In a Final Four in which defense could be of paramount importance, the Spartans can hold their own, allowing 64.1 points per game this year. Those numbers look rather pedestrian in comparison to some of the other figures that the other three teams are giving up this year, but the rebounding advantage that Michigan State will have is second to none. Sparty is averaging outrebounding its foes by an average of 9.3 rebounds per game.
Defense is what brought Cinderella to the ball, and it’s going to have to be what wins it the title for Butler. The fact that the Bulldogs haven’t allowed an opponent to cross 60 points on them since February 26th isn’t necessarily their most impressive stat. Kansas State and Syracuse each average right around 80 points per game, and both were held over 20 points below their normal numbers.
Though Butler can slow down the game to a snail’s pace, one must remember that MSU has already been through this ordeal against Northern Iowa. The Panthers play one of the slowest games in the country, yet the Spartans successfully moved into the Sweet 16 with a relatively easy win over the darlings of this tournament. Experience will be served here, as last year’s run to the NCAA Final and a head coach that has been to this stage of the tournament six times before will be enough to bring Sparty back to the finale.
Selection: Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans are 25-10-1 ATS in their L/36 NCAA Tournament betting battles. Diamond Sportsbook currently has all of your Final Four betting lines available to you, including MSU at +1.
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