NCAA Basketball Sports Betting
LSU Tigers (26-7 SU, 13-12 ATS)
NCAA Tournament (@ Greensboro, NC)
Thursday, March 19
BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: LSU -2.5, Total 127
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
- BUT has covered two of its last seven games
- BUT has won 18 of its last 22 games SU
- BUT has played eight of its last 11 games OVER the total
- LSU has covered three of its last nine games
- LSU has won 11 of its last 14 games S
LSU had the best overall record in the SEC this season, with a 13-3 mark that won the West division. Unfortunately, LSU, which beat Kentucky in the opening round of the SEC tournament, lost to eventual champion Mississippi State in the next round, and shot a pathetic 31% in doing so. That continued a pattern for this team, which may have run out of steam at the end, losing three of its last four and hitting a combined 34.5% in those games. Those might not be the best conditions under which to lay points to a classic overachiever like Butler, which retooled this season and did better than many expected, winning 26 games and grabbing a rare at-large bid for the Horizon League, after losing to upstart Cleveland State in the title game of that tournament.
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The key to this game may be experience, and even though Butler has gone to the tournament three straight years, that edge goes to the Tigers. Remember that Butler has three freshmen starting for them, in addition to sophomore Matt Howard (14.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), who serves as the team's big man. Meanwhile, LSU still has a few players left over from that 2006 run that saw them go to the Final Four, including starters Tasmin Mitchell, Chris Johnson and Garrett Temple, who in particular is a key component of a defense that allows just 30% shooting from the three-point arc.
That's something that will impact Butler, which is perimeter-oriented, and they're not going to win the war of the easy baskets. Howard is hardly the best player on the floor, that distinction goes to LSU's Marcus Thornton, who chips in with 5.5 rebounds a game to go with his 20.7 points. We know that Butler is tough as nails, and LSU has some shooting woes to work out. If they can do it, however (and with Johnson they'll get their share of inside scoring), they'll make it tough for Butler to trade points. We'll lay it with the Tigers, the 2.5-point favorite in the BetUS Sportsbook.
JAY'S PLAY: LSU -2.5
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
