2010 Final Four Butler vs. Michigan State Picks & Predictions

Last Updated on April 3, 2010 3:00 pm by drew

MSU-Butler Pick

Two teams that weren’t expected to reach the 2010 Final Four will battle it out for the first spot in the National Championship when

Butler faces off with Michigan State Saturday at 6:07PM ET.

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These two teams will battle it out from the Lucas Oil Stadium in

Indianapolis,
Indiana. Both enter the game as No. 5 seeds in their respective region with
Butler winning the West and
Michigan
State winning the
Midwest.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made
Butler a 1-point favorite over

Michigan
State on Saturday evening. The over/under has been set at 126.

Butler is playing in its first Final Four in school history and is playing just miles away from its campus in

Indianapolis.

Butler is 32-4 on the year and the Bulldogs have won their last 24 games and in the tournament they have held their opponents under 60 points in each contest.

Butler gives up an average of just 59.3 points per-game, which ranks ninth in the nation. The Bulldogs also score 69.5 points per-game on offense, which puts them 142^nd in the country.
Butler went 1-1 against Big Ten opponents this year, losing 82-73 against

Minnesota while defeating Ohio State 74-66. The Bulldogs reached the Final Four thanks to a 63-56 win over

Kansas
State. The Bulldogs limited the Wildcats to just 38 percent shooting and 13 turnovers in the game.

Butler shot 45 percent from the field and out-rebounded K-State 36-27. Gordon Hayward had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead

Butler while Shelvin Mack had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Michigan
State is appearing in its sixth Final Four since 1999 and second in as many years. It is the eighth appearance in school history overall. The Spartans are looking to win their third NCAA title in school history. MSU is 28-8 on the season and the Spartans are winners of seven of their last eight games. The Spartans average 72.4 points per-game on offense, which ranks 85^th in the country. MSU gives up 64.1 points per-game, which ranks 61^st in the nation.
Michigan
State is 1-0 against the Horizon League this year, having beat

Valparaiso 90-60. All four NCAA Tournament wins for MSU have come by single digits, including the 70-69 win over

Tennessee in the regional championship. The Spartans allowed the Volunteers to shoot 51 percent from the field in the game but still found a way to win as Durrell Summers had 21 points and Raymar Morgan added 13 points and 10 rebounds while Draymond Green had 13 points.

You have to like Tom Izzo and what he has done getting
Michigan
State to this game without top scorer Kalin Lucas, but the Spartans are legitimately facing the best team they have seen all tournament in

Butler. The Bulldogs have won at least 28 games the last four seasons and are better than the No. 5 that stands next to their name. MSU has managed to slip by the past few games, but against

Butler and its tenacious defense, expect the Spartans run to end on Saturday in a low-scoring contest.

Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is:
BUTLER -1 and UNDER 126
Final Four Betting Trends

Michigan
State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games

Michigan
State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

Butler is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

Butler is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

MICHIGAN ST: 29-15 ATS in NCAA Tournament

BUTLER: 8-0 Over on neutral court if the total is 129.5 or less

Final Four Injury Report
MICHIGAN ST

[F] 04/01/2010 – Delvon Roe probable Saturday vs.

Butler (Knee) 

[F] 04/01/2010 – Chris Allen probable Saturday vs.

Butler (Foot) 

[G] 03/29/2010 – Kalin Lucas out for season (Achilles) 

BUTLER

No significant injuries
Final Four Game Odds
819 Michigan State Spartans (-105) +1 Over 126

820

Butler Bulldogs (-115) -1 Under 126
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Posted: 4/3/10 3:00PM ET