2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament- Final Four
This year’s tournament has gone nothing like the script as brackets were busted in the second round with Kansas bowing out and after this past weekend’s action only one #1 seed has advanced to the Final Four. What we are left with is #1 Duke from the South, #2 West Virginia from the East, and a pair of #5’s with Butler coming out of the West and Michigan State coming out of the Midwest. These four teams are set to continue on their quest for a national title next Saturday in Indianapolis. Here is a look at both match-ups along with the current odds for each game.
6:00 P.M. Saturday April 3rd
Michigan State Spartans vs. Butler Bulldogs -1 Current Over/Under 126
Michigan State (28-8) has been known for their inconsistent play this season and has even showed signs of it in this tournament. Another thing they are known for is their ability to make adjustments and come up with big plays when they need them the most. This has definitely been the case so far. With their leading scorer, Kalin Lucas out of the lineup with a torn Achilles the rest of this team was able to pick up the slack in the last two games to get them to this point.
If you did not know anything about Butler (32-4) before this tournament, you should know a lot about them now. With wins over #1 seed Syracuse (63-59) and #2 Kansas State (63-56) they have proven they can play with and beat anybody. With young, exciting players like sophomore G-F Gordon Hayward and sophomore G Shelvin Mack leading the way, this team has a legitimate shot at winning a national title in front of their hometown crowd.
Who Should Win: Butler
Who Will Win: Butler -1 Michigan State has found a way to get it done the past four games, especially playing without Lucas in the last two but this is the end of the line for the Spartans. The Bulldogs use the home court advantage to the fullest and earn a trip to the title game.
8:45 P.M. Saturday April 3rd
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Duke Blue Devils -2 Current Over/Under 131
West Virginia had to have felt snubbed when they were made a #2 seed in the same bracket as Kentucky, when Syracuse was given a #1 seed and Villanova was made a #2 seed in the South. They have used this as motivation in their march to the Final Four, saving their best in a 73-66 win over the #1 seed Wildcats in the Elite 8. Senior F Da’Sean Butler along with sophomores F’s Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks come into this match up playing at a very high level making the Mountaineers an extremely difficult team to beat.
This will be head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 15th appearance in the Final Four so he definitely knows his way around the ropes in this one. With senior G Jon Scheyer, junior F Kyle Singler, and junior G Nolan Smith, the Blue Devils also boast an impressive lineup that provides both the talent and experience needed in big games like this. Against Baylor in the Elite Eight, Smith scored a career high 29 points and Scheyer added 20 in the 78-71 win.
Who Should Win: Duke
Who Will Win: West Virginia +2 This is Krzyzewski’s best team since winning a national title back in 2001, but they are going up against a team that just refuses to lose. West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins has his team playing at a level of intensity that will be hard for any team to match.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.