As exciting as the 2010 installment of the March Madness tournament has been, perhaps with the storylines centered on the “Cinderella” underdogs and top-seed upsets, the Bulldogs and Spartans have not rendered the attention they deserved. That has changed now that the fifth seeds from both the Midwest and West have advanced to the Final Four odds games.
What: NCAA Basketball Betting
When: Saturday April 3rd – 6PM ET
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
The Road To The Final Four: Michigan State
After a stunning upset overtime loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten quarterfinals, the Spartans have done their best to make their fans forget about their early conference tournament title exit by advancing to the March Madness Final Four. It seems however that Michigan State has played to the level of its competition, as with the exception of a 59-52 win over Northern Iowa in the regional semi finals, the Spartans have won their three games by a combined six points. That includes a close 70-69 win over Tennessee in the Midwest finals in which the Volunteers’ Scotty Hopson couldn’t hit both of his free throws with less than 15 seconds to go to give his team the lead. That led to the Spartans’ going the other way and Raymar Morgan drew a foul, hit one of two free throws with two seconds left, which was enough for the win. Michigan State is in the Final Four for the eighth time in school history, and the sixth since 1999, which leads the best online sportsbook
NCAA over that span.
The Road To The Final Four: Butler
The Bulldogs did it all on the way to the March Madness picks’ Final Four. After encountering little resistance in their first round win over UTEP, Butler shut down any idea of number 13 Murray State going on a “Cinderella” run, topping the Racers 54-52 in the second round. From there, the Bulldogs would eliminate the top two seeds in the West region, bouncing top-seed Syracuse 63-59 in the Sweet 16, and then bumping Kansas State 63-56 in the Elite Eight. Butler has not lost in 2010, extending their phenomenal win streak to 25 straight games, sweeping through the Horizon conference and all the way to Indianapolis. With four players averaging over 10 points per game, the Bulldogs are probably the best team in the nation to receive such little attention heading in to the Final Four.
Who Will Advance To The National Title Game: Michigan State vs Butler
As is often the case with March Madness odds, it is unlikely that many prognosticators had these teams making an improbable run to the Final Four to play one another. Now that Michigan State and Butler are one game away from the big game, the college basketball betting picture is becoming clearer. The Bulldogs have beaten better competition to get to this game, then again it is hard to think that any one team, never mind from the Horizon conference, will be able to win 27 straight and a national title. Butler has the better team, but that doesn’t mean they are anything more than just a favorite.
Gambling Advisor blog Pick: Butler
