Free College Basketball NCAA Tournament Pick:

#2 Kansas State Wildcats (29-7, 11-5 Big 12) vs. #5 Butler Bulldogs (31-4, 18-0 Horizon League) Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT, 3/27, 4:30 PM

The more people doubt them, the more it seems like their season should end, the more Butler surprises everyone. Maybe it is time to stop being so surprised. Kansas State has other ideas.

Butler beat UTEP in the first round of the tournament, then Murray State. These two teams were seeded 12 and 13 respectively. They were hard fought games, but Butler was the superior team. Then in the Sweet 16, Butler met up with Syracuse, a 1 seed. The Bulldogs only beat one ranked team this season, Ohio State. Granted the Buckeyes were without their star Evan Turner in that game. They went undefeated in conference play, but the Orange were the first really tough team they had to face in months. Still, they were victorious. While Butler played well, this was not the same Syracuse team that beat Gonzaga by 22. Eighteen turnovers by Syracuse helped Butler, especially in the first half. But, even when Syracuse made its run, and ended leading by four, Butler remained calm while Syracuse still looked flustered, and came away with a 63-59 win. Butler now has a 23 game winning streak, the longest in the nation.

Kansas State has rolled through the tournament so far. They beat North Texas by 20 and BYU by 12. Their game against BYU would be quite a bit more difficult. True to form in this year’s installment of the NCAA tournament, this game went down to the wire. After Kansas State led by 15, Xavier came back and at halftime the lead was cut to just one. From there on out, it was close, and it took not one, but two overtimes to declare the winner. Kansas State pulled out the win with a score of 101-96, led by Jacob Pullen’s 28 points. With Syracuse out of the way, and Kansas losing last weekend, Kansas State has clear sailing ahead, assuming they can first snap Butler’s winning streak.

Butler is not in uncharted territory, making their first ever Elite 8. The Wildcats haven’t been to a regional final since 1988. Butler seems on a mission though, hoping to be able to play in front of a “home” crowd when the tournament moves to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

Kansas State is favored by 4 points.  The total is listed at 135.

Pick:  Take Kansas State -4