The NCAA Final Four will tip off next Saturday in number five seed Butler’s back yard. Will Butler have a home court advantage? According to the Las Vegas Sporting Consultants that sets the Las Vegas betting line, Butler does have an advantage a -1.5 point advantage to be exact. After all, bets for this have been placed by the 사설토토사이트.
Butler started as the number five seed, in their West Coast Regional and disposed of number 12 seed UTEP and number 13 seed Murray State in the first two rounds. Butler then faced number one seed Syracuse and they were up to the task, beating Syracuse and then taking on a hot shooting Kansas State team.
Butler beats a tired and poor shooting Kansas State team.
Kansas State gave Butler a tough game but their shooting was off after going through an arduous double overtime game with Xavier. Kansas State’s tow best shooters Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente ran out of gas and could make their shots in that game. Although many didn’t give Butler much credit for taking down Kansas State they still had to make the critical shots to put Kansas State away.
Butler comes into their match up with Michigan State with a 24 game winning streak on the line and the added benefit of playing in their home town. Butler’s last loss came to UAB on December 22nd, so they are looking to finish the season undefeated in 2010. Butler has put the pressure on their two guards Shelvin Mack and Gordon Heyward, the two leading point scorers on the team.
Mack and Michael Veasley are the two go to guards that will be asked to knock down three pointers in clutch situations. Just as Kansas State falter when Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente struggled, if Mack and Heyward falter, Butler will have a tough go of it in their first NCAA Final Four.
Michigan State enters the NCAA Final Four hobbled but not out.
Michigan State may have lost their best player heading into the their sixth NCAA appearance since 1999 but they still have the potential to win the 2010 NCAA Tournament. When it comes to Tom Izzo the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans don’t ever count him out.
As Kalin Lucas, Michigan State’s best player and leader, was forced to sit out, Raymar Morgan ascended to the position of team leader and clutch shooter. With Raymar Morgan stepping up, Michigan State made it a point to pick up the slack and play as a team.
Michigan State is accustomed to the underdog position in this NCAA Tournament and being a 1.5 point underdog to a team from the Horizon Conference may give Michigan State the nudge they need to succeed in this NCAA Final Four game against the host team in Indianapolis.
Butler and Michigan State by the key numbers.
Two huge keys in the NCAA Tournament and especially the NCAA Final Four are three point shooting and free throw shooting. Both teams are nearly identical from behind the three point arc, Butler is 34.49% behind the three point line and Michigan State is 34.44%. Butler’s best three point shooter is Shelvin Mack at 38.64% while Michigan State’s best outside shooter is guard Chris Allen at 40%.
At the free throw line Butler has a decided edge if this game comes down to a free throw battle. Butler is hitting almost 74% from the free throw line hitting 73.89%. Michigan State struggles when it comes to free throws hitting 68.55%. Late in the game look for the ball to be in Matt Howard’s hands in fouling situations he has a 79% free throw percentage and for Michigan State late the ball will be in Durrell Summers hands, he is an 80% free throw shooter. This is an area where Michigan State will miss Kalin Lucas. Lucas is a 79% free throw shooter.
Michigan State has the edge on the boards.
Michigan State is the better team on the boards. Michigan State averages 38.94% rebounds while Butler averages 32.61% on the boards and they will need to step it up in this game to overcome Michigan State’s edge. Both teams are almost even when it comes to fouls, so that shouldn’t be a factor.
Michigan State played well against Tennessee without Kalin Lucas but they had a hard fought win to advance to the NCAA Final Four. Michigan State does have a week to rest up, so fatigue should not play a part in this game and the home court advantage should not play much of a part in the outcome of this game. Still Michigan State did a great job to make it to the NCAA Final Four but that should end their run. Butler will cover the 1.5 points and become the first Horizon League team to make an NCAA Final.
