Free College Basketball NCAA Tournament Pick
#1 Syracuse Orange (30-4, 15-3 Big East) vs #5 Butler Bulldogs (30-4, 18-0 Horizon League) Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT, 3/25, 7:07 PM
It is hard to believe that a team could be on a 22 game winning streak, and still be the underdog. That is just what Butler will be though as they take on 1 seed Syracuse.
Butler has been a great team all year long and has overcome many doubters. Some thought they would be the losers in what has become an annual 5 seed versus 12 seed upset. The Bulldogs were not interested in going out in the first round though, so they beat UTEP 77-59. Then Murray State came calling, looking to continue a miraculous run, and nearly pulled off the upset, but Butler held them off with a 52-54 win. Gordon Hayward leads this team with 15.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Ronald Nored, though, was the one who scored the most points against Murray State, with 15.
There were a lot of doubters after Syracuse lost their last game of the season to Louisville and then their first game in the Big East tournament to Georgetown. Still more doubters came out when it was clear that Arinze Onuaku wouldn’t play for at least the first weekend. They have all been quieted now though. Not only has Syracuse beaten both Vermont 79-56 in the first round, but also Gonzaga 87-65 over the weekend. The Gonzaga game was more impressive in many ways. Gonzaga is a better team than Vermont, and they have a better inside game. Without Onuaku, many felt that Syracuse wouldn’t be able to compete. To make matters worse, the one healthy big man that Syracuse had, Rick Jackson, got into foul trouble early. This left the Orange with five regular rotation players available, and only one big man, DaShonte Riley, who barely played all season. Instead of collapsing though, Syracuse went on a run to end the first half with an 18 point lead, then promptly came out in the second half and led by as many as 32. Wes Johnson proved that he is one of the most dominant players in the nation with 31 points and 14 rebounds .Andy Rautins showed how dangerous a shooter he is with 24 points, including 5-9 from three point range.
If Syracuse plays like they did against Gonzaga, there probably isn’t anyone in the tournament who can beat them. Butler doesn’t want its winning streak snapped though. The winner goes to the Elite 8 and will play either Kansas State or Xavier.
Syracuse is favored by 7 points.
Syracuse Betting Trends:
Syracuse is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games |
Syracuse is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games |
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Syracuse's last 8 games |
Butler Betting Trends:
Butler is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games |
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Butler's last 7 games |
Pick: Take Syracuse -7
Betting Trends by Bodog.com |
