Final 4: VCU vs Butler | Prediction & Pick

From First Four to Final Four, VCU take s on Butler

The Butler Bulldogs, under the guidance of head coach Brad Stevens, are back in the round of four and poised to turn the tables on last year’s Championship loss to Duke, but they must first knockoff a resilient VCU Rams team that has plenty of momentum heading into Saturday’s Regional Final match up at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

vs.

#11 Virginia Commonwealth (27-11, 12-6 CAA) vs. #8 Butler (26-9, 13-5 Horizon)

Date/Time: Saturday, April 2, 6:09 PM EST
Venue: Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX.
Broadcast: CBS

Money Line: Butler -145, VCU +125
Spread: Butler -2 ½
Over/Under: 135 ½

It’s been somewhat of a Yellow Brick Road experience for the Rams who had to first play their way past USC in the First Four, and now find themselves ready to battle in this year’s Final Four.

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The Rams have been an enigma, and skidded into the NCAA Tournament as the Selection Committee stunned the college basketball world when they announced the awarding of an at-large bid to Virginia Commonwealth, even after the team’s fourth place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association where they ended their season losing five of their last eight games.

But the Rams have taken that opportunity and have continued to whip college basketball fans into a tizzy as they continue to administer one crushing blow after the next, including a decent spanking of Bill Self  and his heralded Kansas Jayhawks in last weekend’s Elite 8 bout in San Antonio.

VCU is confirming there is no smoke and mirrors to their tenacious zone press defense that continues to drain opponents, creating turnovers that usually result in prime scoring opportunities.

Also, let’s not forget to mention the Rams supernatural gift for draining huge points at key moments from deep. Coach Shaka Smart’s team ranks 17th nationally in three-point field goals per game (8.5) and has converted 65-146 (44.5 percent) shots from 3-point range during its 2011 NCAA tournament run.

Senior forward Jamie Skeen leads the team in scoring and rebounding, and put on a show that helped lift the Rams to victory over Kansas, racking up 26 points, and ten big rebounds while simply outworking the Jayhawks bigs.  He also has been solid from downtown, shooting 38.7 percent, and compliments the Rams’ trio of three-point terror of Bradford Burgess, Brandon Rozzell, and Joey Rodriguez.

As for the Bulldogs, some may have written them off, or considered this year’s tournament run to be cut short after starting the regular season 14-9 with just six conference wins. I am sure many braketologists, did not expect to see Butler return to the Final Four.

But  just one year after Butler’s surprising run to the championship game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs have now won 13 straight games overall entering Saturday’s matchup and appear on the edge of making another appearance in the Championship game on April 4.

With an unyielding core of assiduous players like Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored, and Matt Howard, the Bulldogs are on fire and have all the right components in place.

The team’s leading scorer Howard has been a colossal component of the Bulldogs ability to beat their opponents, but must stay out of foul trouble against VCU. And while Mack and Nored have made huge offensive contributions, it’s their defensive efforts that have made them one of the better backcourts in the nation.

The odds makers have the Butler Bulldogs as a -2.5 point favorite with an over/under of 135.5.

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Matt’s Free Prediction: VCU has proven its ability to beat opponents with its one-two, inside-outside punch, which makes them a hard team to defend against. Just ask Kansas and Georgetown. They have amazing speed and when coupled with a press that can cause turnovers, it leaves me to wonder if a more methodical Butler Bulldogs can adjust. Expect this to one of the best games of the tournament. While the Bulldogs are rolling, I just can’t bet against a Rams team that mauled the Jayhawks.

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