NCAA Championship Bonus Play Loser
Butler/UCONN OVER 128
Too bad it opened at 129.5 and is now at 131.5 ...... ummmm where'd that line come from?
i HAVE TO show you guys this writeup.... its so insane he claims Stevens is a better coach than Calhoun and says that Kemba scoring all the points for UCONN won't work...
Today's Analysis
The Bulldogs will have a bigger bite than the Huskies tonight.
Both teams come in on major winning streaks as Butler has won 14 in a row (10-3-1 ATS) while Uconn has won 10 in a row (9-1 ATS).
From a statistics standlpoint these two teams are very similiar as Buter averages 72.1 points per game while giving up 64.4 while Uconn averages 72.8 while allowing 65.4.
From the free throw line Butler shoots 73% as a team while Uconn shoots 76%. So as you can see, almost identical statistics wise.
To further the point, both teams rely on primarily 2 scorers as the Bulldogs have Mack and Howard while the Huskies have Walker and Lamb.
However, you have way more balance on the Butler side.
Consider this: Walker and Lamb have combined for twice as many points as the rest of the Huskies combined, 176 vs. 88. It's not easy to survive that way at this class of competition.
People have no idea how good a team defense this Butler team plays and for that matter how good Norad is.
Consider he held Pitt's Ashton Gibbs to only 7 FG attempts and no free throws over 36 minutes, shutdown Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor when it mattered, harrassed the Gators Erving Walker into 1-12 shooting.
Oh, and never allowed Joey Rodriguez to get into the flow for VCU and believe me, if Norad gets tired, here comes Shawn Vanzant and Mack.
Butler will also kill you is on the offensive boards as they collected 15 of them versus VCU alone while Uconn gave up 13 to Kentucky.
I have maintained all year long Uconn's big men may be very athletic, they aren't the smartest nor most fundemental big men you are going to face.
To think Butler won't hold their own in the paint versus Uconn then you haven't been following this team in the tourney.
In their first two games they faced the #1 and #2 rebounding teams in all of College basketball and sent them both home packing while holding their own on the boards.
Oraiki and Smith combined for 17 rebounds but only 3 were offensive. From a sheer fundamental standpoint, advantage Butler.
Uconn may have a deeper bench but in my opinion it's not the more productive bench and that will be a huge difference in this game tonight as it has been this whole tourney for Butler.
Just look at Hahn, who came off the bench to get 8 straight points at a critical time in the 2nd half against VCU while grabbing 4 rebounds in 14 minutes. Advantage Bulldogs.
Now to the experience factor.
I discounted it with Butler versus VCU and it cost me. I won't make the same mistake here with them against Uconn. There truly is something to be said about back to back national championship games.
In crunch time of every single tournament game this year Butler doesn't flinch. They have been poised and disciplined time in and time out and will not panic.
You saw it versus Old Dominion, Pitt, Florida and VCU and you will see it tonight versus Uconn.'
As for the Huskies, they are prone to playing out of control and as games get tight they get one or two dimensional at best. Walker and Lamb and that's it.
You need a reference, see last possession versus Kentucky. That is the best you have from an execution standpoint?
Now, has it been enough so far? Yes it has but your luck is going to run out sometime or another when you face a better all round team and are you ready for this......?
A better coached team. Yes, I said it. As far as in game coaching, Brad Stevens is better than Jim Calhoun and therein lies another advandage for Uconn.
In a game of chess tonight, Stevens has more pieces to play with and he has shown you in last years tourney and this year he knows how to manuever them to perfection.
How does 7-0 ATS last 7 games as an underdog in the tournament and an incredible 22-4-2 ATS last 28 games versus a team with a winning pct above .600.
He is at his best versus better teams because he outcoaches them. Simple as that.
I'm not discounting anything Uconn has done. Not in the Big East tourney nor this tourney but eventuahlly your 2 man show will get exposed by a better all around team and that team tonight is Butler.
They beat the best team in the Big East in Pitt, a team that shot 56% from the floor in the game and still lost.
Tonight they dispose of the 9th best team with the better all around team effort, just as they have done this entire tourney.
Congrats to Butler. They got back here for a 2nd year in a row and they will get what they should have gotten last year......a national championship.
71-66 final sports fans.