BSNblog

Michigan State vs Butler odds – Saturday, April 3, 6:07 PM ET

In this battle of five-seeds, the Spartans will represent the Midwest region after a 70-69 win over Tennessee, but they’re still without star Kalin Lucas, and a couple of other players are playing through pain. The Bulldogs come out of the West region after outlasting Kansas State 63-56, and Butler has yet to allow an opponent to score 60 points on them in the Tournament. The Bulldogs will have a huge hometown advantage in their first meeting with Michigan State, who played in the Final Four in their home state last year, so they’ll know what the Bulldogs are going through. The Spartans’ sportsbook odds depend on their ability to break down the Butler defense, but we’re not sold on Korie Lucious, who has nine turnovers replacing Lucas in the last two games. As long as Butler stays out of foul trouble, because they’re not that deep, they should roll to Championship Monday by covering the 1.5-point spread.

West Virginia vs Duke odds – Saturday, April, 8:47 PM ET

The Mountaineers emerge from the East after defeating top-seeded Kentucky 73-66, using a mix of zone and man defense to keep the talented Wildcats out of the paint, and it worked as Kentucky shot 4-of-32 from three-point land. The top-seeded Blue Devils are the only No.1s still dancing as they dropped Baylor 78-71, and Duke was 11-of-23 from three-point land against the Bears. The Blue Devils are a 3-point favorite according to 2010 March Madness odds, and they’ll be out for revenge after a 73-67 loss to the Mountaineers in the second round of the 2008 Tournament. The Mountaineers could have injured point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant back for this weekend, which would give West Virginia some good ball-handlers with Bryant, Joe Mazzulla, and even Da’Sean Butler, who has made some big shots for the Mountaineers over the last month. This game could very well come down to the battle on the bench, where Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins will do battle. Krzyzewski has the Blue Devils playing perhaps the best defense of his tenure at Duke, while the Mountaineers havce taken on the character of Huggins, which is tough, relentless and in-your-face for 40 minutes. This has the potential to be the best game in the Tournament, but West Virginia should get the nod for online betting on Saturday.