March Madness Hoops Predictions – Old Dominion Monarchs vs Butler Bulldogs
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NCAA Tournament Bracket – Southeast Region
Thursday March 17, 2011 – 12:40 PM ET
Venue: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
Broadcast: TruTV
#9 Old Dominion Monarchs vs. #8 Butler Bulldogs
Betting Lines From BetOnline:
Money Line: Old Dominion -130
Spread: Old Dominion -2
Over/Under: 122.5
Go Inside This Matchup With Our CBB ATS Stats —>
Bet now at BetOnline.com
After falling just short of catching the George Mason Patriots for the top spot in the Colonial during the regular season, the Old Dominion Monarchs made their case as the best team in the CAA by sweeping through the conference title tournament. The Monarchs put together a string of six straight wins to close their Colonial schedule, but it was the way that they performed in the postseason that really made an impact.
After managing the Delaware Fighting Blue Hens with relative ease, Old Dominion put on a clinic in the semi finals and championship game, taking down the Hofstra Pride and the Virginia Commonwealth by a combined 23 points.
The Monarchs are hoping that they can carry that momentum into the NCAA national title tournament, but it won’t be easy when they open against a tough Butler Bulldogs’ team in the opening round.
A quick look at the way these teams finished the year provides testament to just how ironic it is that it’s these squads that will meet in the first round. The Bulldogs finished the year just as strong as Old Dominion, with wins in each of their last nine games, including a 59-44 victory over the Milwaukee Panthers to clinch the Horizon league championship.
Butler opened that game with a 25-8 run that set the tone for the remainder of the contest, and cruised to its second straight conference title. Now, after earning their fifth straight NCAA national title tournament bid, Butler is looking to once again become the Cinderella story after making it to the championship game a year ago.
The Monarchs and Bulldogs both have experience pulling off upsets in the Madness, and both boast similar defensive styles. Neither team plays a pretty game, and the talk among experts is that the winner of this battle may not have anything left for a potential duel against the top-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Bulldogs learned a lot in getting to the title game a year ago, but consecutive runs for such an underdog team could be too much to ask. Old Dominion did upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a year ago, and there is a very good chance that they could make it through to the third round. That said, this game can go either way, and it isn’t unlikely that it will go down to the final horn.
The points are available with Butler, so even if they lose at the Buzzer there is still a chance that they will cover.
Trends:
OLDOM are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
Under is 8-3 in BUT last 11 Thu. games.
Pick: Butler +2
