Public Favors Butler
Not sure which team to go with the in 2010 Final Four matchup between Michigan State and Butler. Here is a look at who the public likes in this national semifinal.
This national semifinal takes place on Saturday at 6:07PM ET from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com currently lists Butler as a 1-point favorite over Michigan State in the national semifinal while the over/under total is sitting at 126 points.
Nearly 15,000 wagers have been placed on this game with 53% of the public opting to go with Butler minus the 1-point. Public betting tends to go with the favorites and considering Michigan State’s injury issues, this number is not surprising. If anything, it may be surprising that it is not more in favor of the Bulldogs.
The opening line for the game had the Bulldogs as 1.5-point favorites. With the line dropping down to a single points, that means that Spartans have picked up a number of bets and oddsmakers wanted to narrow the spread down by that crucial half-point.
Some trends to consider in this game is that Butler is 2-1 against the spread a s NCAA Tournament favorites and Butler coach Brad Stevens is 3-0 straight up as a tournament favorite. With the 1-point spread, the game is essentially a pick’ em making straight up numbers valuable to consider as well. Butler is also 5-1-1 against the spread against Big Ten opponents. The Bulldogs have been 4-1 ATS in their last five games. Butler also has the advantage of playing just a few miles from campus, which should give the Bulldogs a home-court feel for Saturday’s game.
Michigan State’s trends show that head coach Tom Izzo is 10-0 straight up against Horizon League opponents, but just 6-4 against the spread. Izzo is also 3-2 ATS in Final Four play. Michigan State is 4-2 against the spread in their last six games, but three of their four tournament wins have been by three points or less. The Spartans are without Kalin Lucas for the Final Four and forwards Delvon Roe and Chris Allen are each less than 100 percent going into the game.
To track public betting information here at theSpread.com, be sure to check out our College Basketball Public Betting page for all the latest information.
2010 Final Four Betting Odds, Point Spreads & Over/Under Total:
819 Michigan State Spartans +1 (-105 money line) Over 126
820 Butler Bulldogs –1 (-115 money line) Under 126
Posted: 4/2/10 1:21PM ET