Last Updated on April 5, 2010 5:00 pm by drew
Buter-Duke Pick
The 2009-10 College Basketball Season comes to an end Monday night in the 2010 NCAA Championship Game between Butler and Duke.
Bet the National Championship
These two teams will battle it out from the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Duke was the No. 1 seed in the South Region while Butler was the No. 5 seed in the West Region.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL have made Duke a 7.5-point favorite over Butler on Saturday evening. The over/under has been set at 128.5.
The Blue Devils are seeking their first national title since 2001 and fourth title in school history. Duke is 34-5 on the season and holds the more wins than Butler or any other team in college basketball. The Blue Devils have won their last nine games, six of which were by double figures. Duke averages 77.4 points per-game, which ranks 25th in the nation. The Blue Devils give up just 61.1 points per-game, which ranks 27th. Duke has not faced off with a Horizon League team this season and is coming off 78-57 win over West Virginia in the national semifinal. The Blue Devils shot 52.7 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point land, hitting 13-of-25 attempts. Jon Scheyer scored 23 points with six assists to lead Duke while Nolan Smith had 19 points and six assists, and Kyle Singler had 21 points with nine rebounds and five assists. As a team, Duke had 20 assists in the win.
Butler is playing in its first national championship game in school history and is playing just miles away from its campus in Indianapolis. Butler is 33-4 on the year and the Bulldogs have won their last 25 games and in the tournament they have held their opponents under 60 points in each of the five contests. 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 142nd in the country. Butler is 0-1 this season against the ACC, having lost to Clemson 70-69 on Nov. 29. Butler reached the championship game by defeating Michigan State 52-50 on Saturday in the semifinals. The Bulldogs won with defense, forcing the Spartans into 16 turnovers in the contest. Butler shot just 30 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from 3-point land, but were 17-of-24 from the free throw line. Gordon Hayward had 19 points and nine rebounds in the win for the Bulldogs while Shelvin Mack added 14 points.
Butler is not getting a lot of respect in this game as it is a 7.5-point underdog, but the Bulldogs are not a flash in the pan. Butler has won at least 28 games in the last four seasons and entered the season high in the top 25 rankings. Butler’s defense is aggressive and will force Duke to have to hit tough shots, something it didn’t have to do against the Mountaineers. With the spread so far apart, we suggest going with Butler and the points, as well as the under for this title game.
Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is: BUTLER +7.5 and UNDER 128.5
National Championship Betting Trends
DUKE is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games this season.
DUKE is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all lined games this season.
DUKE is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
DUKE is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
DUKE is 13-6 ATS (+6.4 Units) in non-conference games this season.
DUKE is 20-12 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DUKE is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) versus good defensive teams – allowing <=64 points/game this season.
BUTLER is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
BUTLER is 120-86 ATS (+25.4 Units) after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.
BUTLER: 12-5 ATS after 1+ consecutive unders
DUKE: 6-0 Over after covering the spread in 4+ consecutive games
Butler is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Butler is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Duke is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Duke is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
National Championship Injury Report
BUTLER
(!)[F] 04/03/2010 – Shelvin Mack is upgraded to probable Monday vs. Duke ( Thigh )
[F] 04/03/2010 – Matt Howard injured last game, "?" Monday vs Duke ( Concussion )
DUKE
No significant injuries
National Championship Game Odds
601 Butler Bulldogs +7.5 (+250 money line) Over 128.5
602 Duke Blue Devils -7.5 (-330 money line) Under 128.5
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Posted: 4/5/10 5:00PM ET