Basketball Betting: Final Four Preview (Game One)

For the first time since 1972, the host site of a Final Four will have a team from its city in the field. At Lucas Oil Field Stadium in Indianapolis, the hometown Butler Bulldogs will represent the city in a matchup against the battle tested Michigan State Spartans in the opening NCAA tournament semi-finals contest on Saturday night. Michigan State Spartans (126) vs. Butler Bulldogs (-1.5) Michigan State (28-8 SU, 15-20 ATS) After reaching last year's NCAA title game, the Spartans were expected to be back in the Final Four when the 2009-10 campaign got underway. Michigan State opened the season as the 2nd-ranked team in the country. After an inconsistent regular season, the Spartans entered the tournament ranked 13th in the nation and the fifth seed in the Midwest region. It hasn't been easy but the club has been able to survive and advance so far in March Madness. After hanging on for a 3-point win over New Mexico State to open the tourney, the Spartans needed a 3-point shot at the buzzer in the second round to get past Maryland. In the Sweet 16, Michigan State rallied from a 7-point halftime deficit to handle Northern Iowa. In the Elite Eight, the Spartans posted a narrow 70-69 win over Tennessee to reach this point. Many counted MSU out when top scorer Kalin Lucas was lost for the rest of the tourney with an injury against Maryland. Senior forward Raymar Morgan (12 points, 6 rebounds per game) and junior guard Durell Summers (11 ppg.) will need to step up again versus Butler. Head coach Tom Izzo has been able to guide the program into its sixth Final Four in the last 12 seasons. Butler (32-4 SU, 16-20 ATS) Because Butler isn't from one of the six power conferences, many want to label the Bulldogs as a "Cinderella" squad. However, Butler began and finished the year as the 11th-ranked team in the nation. As the fifth seed in the West region, the Bulldogs took out top-seed Syracuse and second-seed Kansas State last weekend in Salt Lake City to extend its winning streak to 24 games heading into Saturday's showdown with Michigan State. The club plays solid defense by allowing under 60 points per outing. A balanced offense is paced by sophomore forward Gordon Hayward (16 points, 8 rebounds per game). Young head coach Brad Stevens has compiled an impressive mark of 88-14 in his three years with the program.