Bulldogs vs Billikens A-10 Tourney Spread/Handicapping
The Bulldogs are doing their usual thing of building towards the tournament. They exorcised a demon in the quarterfinals by beating a La Salle team that beat them earlier in the season.
Butler Bulldogs (25-7) vs #16 Saint Louis Billikens (24-6)
Saturday March 16
Barclay Center – Brooklyn, NY
1:30PM
Moneyline: No ML currently listed at Bovada
Spread: Saint Louis -3
O/U: No O/U currently listed
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
Check out our in-house Handicapper!!! Buy Razor Ray’s CBB Picks Today!
Butler
Saint Louis dealt them two of their other losses as coach Brad Stevens hasn’t been able to solve the Billikens…yet Butler is the slight dog in this contest which always raises an eyebrow as they really thrive in that role.
Butler beat La Salle because they dominated in a couple of key areas. They owned the boards, outrebounding the Explorers by 15 and they didn’t miss a single free throw – shooting 10 for 10. Those numbers enabled them to overcome a difficult shooting performance for leading scorer Rotnei Clarke.
CLICK GRAB OUR BEST Expert CBB Hoops Picks for 2013 GAMBLING season!
If they are going to change their fate against SLU he has to able to find the range. The Billikens concede nothing defensively so it won’t be easy.
The story of Butler as the underdog has probably been written too many times. Not too long ago the Bulldogs were ranked but losses to SLU among others took some of the shine of this team that beat Indiana earlier. Saint Louis just seems to have their number but playoffs are where the Bulldogs usually shine.
They have an advantage at coach too. [ad-6571516]
St. Louis
The Billikens lost just 3 Atlantic 10 games and beat Butler twice something that I don’t think ever happened to them when they were in the Horizon League. Saint Louis is not filled with stars but they are a true team that finds ways to win – they have winning streaks of 9 and 11 this season. They may be the favourite in the board but with Butler being the darling of the dance it may not feel that way in the Barclays Center.
SLU was far from perfect in beating Charlotte in their quarterfinals match. One player who was close though was junior forward Dwayne Evans who missed just one shot on his way to 25 points. SLU is a popular sleeper pick on the national scene but for that to happen point guard Kwamain Mitchell has to be better. If he can exert more control over the game at both ends this not particularly talented team is tough to beat.
The Billikens just keep proving over and over again that they are tough to beat. They fight you the whole game and are probably sort of like Wisconsin in that their greatest talent is getting you to play their game instead of vice-versa. I don’t have a great feel for this team despite their success though.
Spread Pick: Butler +3
O/U Pick:
Score Prediction: Butler 65 – Saint Louis 64
