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VCU vs Butler

In the first ever Final Four matchup between two teams seeded eighth or lower, the No. 8 Butler Bulldogs are set to take on the No. 11 VCU Rams at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game is scheduled to get underway at 6:10 ET and will be televised on CBS.

According to the odds, the Bulldogs are favored by 2.5-points over the Rams with the total set at 133.5.

Here is a quick look at what each team has done in the tournament, plus some interesting betting props you can make on each team.

Butler Bulldogs

It hasn’t been easy for the Bulldogs in their four games leading up to their final four matchup with the Rams, as their largest margin of victory was a seven-point win over Wisconsin. They won in the final seconds in their first two games against Pittsburgh and Old Dominion, and needed overtime to beat Florida in the Elite Eight.

Butler Total Points
Over 68 (-120)
Under 68 (-120)

The Bulldogs will be put to the test by the Rams full court press and non-stop attack. You could really see how it made an impact in the Kansas game. Butler is very well coached on the defensive end, and will have to slow down this game to keep it close. Either way Butler has only scored more than 61 points in regulation in one tournament game, coming against Pitt when they scored 71. I like the odds of Butler scoring under 68 in this matchup.

Shelvin Mack -Total Points
Over 17.5 (-120)
Under 17.5(-120)

Shelvin Mack -Total 3-Point Shots Made
Over 2.5
Under 2.5

Mack comes into the Final Four averaging 21.3 points per game, and has made at least three 3-point shots in every game, except for Wisconsin, where he went 0-5. Mack scored 30 points against Pittsburgh and 27 against Florida, but didn’t score more than 15 in the other two games. I think Mack is going to struggle and fail to reach 18 points, but because he shoots so many 3-pointers, I will take the over in 3-pointers made.

Matt Howard -Total Points
Over 15.5 (-130)
Under 15.5 (-110)

Matt Howard -Total Rebounds
Over 7.5 (-130)
Under 7.5 (-110)

Matt Howard is another key player for the Bulldogs. Howard is averaging 16.2 points and 7 rebounds per game. He had his best game against Wisconsin with 20 points and 12 rebounds. VCU doesn’t have a ton of size so we look for Howard to have a big game and go over the total in both of these bets.

VCU Rams

The Rams had to play a play-in game just to get into the field of 64, and are now the first team to have won five games to reach the Final Four. The most surprising stat for VCU is they beat USC,  Georgetwon, Purdue, and Kansas by double-digits. Their only close game came against Florida State, where they barely held on for a 72-71 win.

VCU Total Points
Over 65.5 (-120)
Under 65.5 (-120)

The Rams got off to a slow start with just 59 points in their win over USC, but have exploded in their last four games, scoring at least 71 in each contest. The Bulldogs however have a week to prepare for what they do offensively, and I look for the Rams to also struggle on the offensive end.

Jamie Skeen -Total Points
Over 16 (-125)
Under 16 (-115)

Skeen was brilliant against the Jayhawks with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but his next highest total in the tournament is 16 against USC. I’ll take my chances on him not going over 16 against the Bulldogs.

Joey Rodriguez – Total Assists
Over 5.5 (-140)
Under 5.5 (EVEN)

Rodriguez is averaging 7.6 assists in five tournament games, and hasn’t finished with less than 5. He had 11 against Purdue and 10 against Florida State. No doubt I will be rolling with the over in this one.

Bradford Burgess -Total 3-Pointers made
Over 1.5 (-155)
Under 1.5 (-110)

This is one of my favorite prop bets for the Final Four. I think there is no question that Burgess will make at least 2 shots from downtown against the Bulldogs. Burgess is 13 for 18 in his last four tournament games, with at least two makes in each of those games.