in NCAA B Betting Trends

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Butler -5, Total 125.5

The South Alabama Jaguars (26-6 SU, 18-9 ATS), who lost out in the Sun Belt Conference tournament but managed to get an at-large bid, will try to make it a success as they face off against the Butler Bulldogs (29-3 SU, 16-14-1 ATS) in first-round NCAA tourney action, taking place as part of the East Regional at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham. Game time is 2:45 PM ET.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Butler is listed as a five-point favorite, with a total of 125.5 points.

Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* SA has won six of its last seven games SU
* SA has covered four of its last six games
* SA has played five of its last eight games OVER the total
* BUT has won 13 of its last 14 games SU
* BUT has covered its last three games

There are loads of things to respect with Butler - namely that the Bulldogs know how to defend, put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses with the three-point shot (making 9.2 per game), and take very good care of the basketball (only 10.1 turnovers a game, which ranked second best in the nation). They start four seniors, including Mike Green, who was the Horizon League's player of the year, and have an outstanding freshman in Mike Howard, who scored 13 points a game on 60% shooting and gave the Bulldogs the inside element that they had sometimes been lacking.

But South Alabama has some things going for it as well. The Jags hot the boards (11.2 offensive rebounds a game, in fact) and are often successful in implementing their up-tempo style of play, even on the road, where they scored 77 points a game (19th in nation). We also cite impressive wins over San Diego and Mississippi State, where those pace-conscious teams were unable to slow them down.

The point is, this is a team that will not be intimidated in the least by an opponent that went to the Sweet 16 last year. Plus, they will have the best player on the floor in Demetric Bennett (20 ppg), who is neck-and-neck with Courtney Lee as the best player in the Sun Belt. And the Jags will have some home support, not having to travel far, with this sub-regional in Birmingham.

We'll take the points with South Alabama, the five-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY:  SOUTH ALABAMA

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)

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