2008 Butler Bulldogs NCAA Basketball Betting

Get a 50% Signup Bonus!

25-3 Butler is the cream of the crop in the Horizon League. They have been ranked in the top ten this season and currently hold a national ranking of thirteenth. The pollsters have given this mid-major some time in the sun figuring that the Bulldogs are pretty good with non-conference wins over Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Ohio State, and Florida State. With March Madness quickly approaching, let’s examine if Butler is really a team capable of cutting down the nets in the Big Dance by taking a look at the 2008 Butler Bulldogs odds to win the NCAA Tournament.

Butler has been defeated just three times this season. The Bulldogs went down by one point at Wright State, by four points at Cleveland State, and by seven points at home against Missouri Valley Conference Champion Drake. Butler will get a chance to get revenge over second place Wright State at home on February 28th. With a two game conference lead, with just two games remaining, I look for the Bulldogs to win the Horizon League title.

From a bettor’s perspective, Butler has not been one of the best teams in the country to back. The Bulldogs are only 13-12-2 ATS in lined games this season. The Bulldogs are 11-1 straight up in home games but only 6-6 ATS. This is a prime example of a good team not always being the best team against the number.

The big question is if Butler is a team capable of making a run at the Final Four or just the best team in a mid-major conference. While Butler has had a strong season, I haven’t seen enough to be convinced. Two of Butler’s three losses have come to the second and third place Horizon League teams. While I believe the Horizon League is a deeper conference, I look at the way Davidson has dominated the Southern Conference and feel that this team, which has taken North Carolina and Duke down to the wire, is more of a threat in the postseason. What really soured me on Butler was the fact that it let a Drake team, which had lost two of its last three, march into the house of the Bulldogs and give them their first home loss of the season.

Mike Green is a sensational player leading Butler in points, assists, and rebounds per game from the guard spot. A.J. Graves is another sensational guard who can score. Butler’s problem is that it doesn’t have a lot of size and strength on the interior. Butler plays good defense, ranking ninth nationally in points allowed per game, but it is a week rebounding team because of its lack of size. Strong guard play and tough defense can get this team through to the Sweet 16, but I don’t think the Bulldogs are a team capable of more.

Butler Bulldogs odds to win NCAA Tournament: 60/1 at Bodoglife.com

Take a look at our betting articles on other NCAA basketball teams:

• Maryland Terrapins

• Duke Blue Devils

• North Carolina Tar Heels

• Kansas Jayhawks

• Memphis Tigers

• UCLA Bruins

• Michigan State Spartans

• Drake Bulldogs

• Tennessee Vols

• Stanford Cardinal

March 3rd, 2007