Sportsbook: 2010 NCAA Final Four
Saturday, April 3 – Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Game 1: Butler vs. Michigan State, 6:07 PM ET
Game 2: 40 minutes after Game 1, Approx. 8:47 PM ET
When college basketball betting gets discussed, two schools of thought generally
emerge: Do you trust the team, or the coach? At the 2010 Final Four, the people who are interested in sportsbook odds will need to make that basic
choice. Let’s break down each of the two national semifinals, without looking ahead to Monday night’s championship game.
Butler-Michigan State Quick Take
The teams that will open Semifinal Saturday are not going to enjoy favorable Final Four odds on Monday against the West Virginia-Duke
winner, but they both have a great chance to get there. Butler coach Brad Stevens, at age 33, has done what several college basketball legends failed
to do in their careers: make a Final Four. Yet, with all due respect to Stevens, the Butler boss is greatly eclipsed by the man who will try to
out-scheme him on Saturday.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has become the second-best coach of the past 25 years, with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski the only man who can claim a better
all-time record of accomplishments. A total of six Final Fours in 12 seasons is insane in modern-day college basketball. Izzo simply finds a way to win
in late March.
Butler is a healthy team, while the same cannot be said of Michigan State. The Spartans made it to Indianapolis despite the absence of star point guard
Kalin Lucas, plus injuries to forward Delvon Roe and shooting guard Chris Allen. Butler also knocked off better teams to get to the Final Four, taking
down Syracuse and Kansas State over the past weekend. Michigan State made its way through the Midwest Region by avoiding Kansas, thanks to Northern
Iowa’s mammoth second-round upset of the Jayhawks.
If you trust the team in the opening game of the Final Four, take Butler. If you trust the coach, take Michigan State.
West Virginia-Duke Quick Take
NCAA basketball betting
has regarded Mike Krzyzewski with a lot of respect over the years, and appropriately so. In 2010, Coach K might have done the best coaching job of his
legendary career. Duke gave up 88 points during the regular season to a mediocre North Carolina State club. For large stretches of the season, Duke
hardly looked like a Final Four squad. Yet, here are the ACC champions, back in the Final Four for the first time since 2004. Krzyzewski has coaxed a
lot of magic out of his roster, largely because his players have bought into a game plan that sacrifices offense for defense. If you trust a coach to
make the difference in Saturday’s late game, take the Blue Devils.
On the other hand, if you trust the makeup of a team more than the leader on the sidelines, it’s wise to pick West Virginia. Bob Huggins is a very
solid coach, but he’s making only his second Final Four appearance in the past 18 years. If West Virginia does prevail, the Mountaineers will wind up
overwhelming Duke with their imposing length.
West Virginia has several players in its rotation who are 6-foot-7 or taller, and have a fairly large wingspan. This length allows WVU to play a
stifling 1-3-1 zone. If Duke sharpshooter Jon Scheyer cannot get free against that zone, the Blue Devils will be in trouble… unless Coach K makes
a very inspired adjustment.
Online basketball betting
picks: Michigan State and West Virginia
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