2011 Final Four Free Picks: Butler vs VCU Odds and Predictions – Final Four Betting Lines

2011 Final Four Free Picks: Butler vs VCU Odds and Predictions – Spread and Total Lines: The 2011 Final Four gets underway Saturday evening at 6:09 PM EST on CBS when the ball gets thrown up for the #8 seeded Butler Bulldogs versus the surprising #11 seeded Virginia Commonwealth Rams from Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Butler(27-9) will be looking to claim what was only a couple inches away from them last season at this year’s Final Four and that is the National Championship. The Bulldogs made their way to their 2nd straight Final Four appearance by coming out of the Southeast Region as a #8 seed. The Bulldogs opened the 2011 NCAA Tournament with a buzzer beater to defeat #9 seed Old Dominion 60-58, followed by another last second win to upset #1 seed Pittsburgh 71-70 to reach the Sweet 16, then a sound 61-54 win over #4 seed Wisconsin and finally a 74-71 thrilling overtime win over #2 seed Florida in the Elite 8 to get back to the Final Four. Butler enters the Final Four averaging 71.8 ppg and allowing 64.8 ppg on defense, while outrebounding their opponents by a 32.2 to 28.9 margin. Butler has been gold for sports bettors this season going 19-13 against the spread and are an impressive 8-1 straight up on neutral sites this season.

VCU(28-11) is the “Cinderalla” of this March Madness “Big Dance” as virtually nobody picked them to even come close to reaching the Final Four after they were selected as an at-large bid by the NCAA Tournament selection committee and forced to play a “play-in” game in Dayton. VCU won that play-in game against #11 seed USC 59-46 then went on to beat #6 seed Georgetown 74-56, defeat #3 seed Purdue 94-76, outlast #10 seed Florida St in overtime 72-71 in the Sweet 16 and finally slayed #1 seed Kansas 71-61 to win the Southwest Region and earn the school’s 1st ever Final Four berth. VCU enters the Final Four averaging 71.8 ppg on offense and allowing 66.7 ppg on defense, while actually getting outrebounded by their opponents by a 32.9 to 29.7 margin. VCU’s impressive 28-11 overall record has not translated to success for their sports betting backers as the Rams record against the vegas odds is just 18-20 on the season. VCU has played well on neutral sites as they are 10-2 straight up this season.

The question all Final Four bettors need to know is not only who will win but, more importantly, who will cover the pointspread? Vegas oddsmakers have installed Butler as a -2.5 point favorite(check out the latest odds at BetUS Sportsbook) with the game total set at over/under 133 points at Ceasars Palace Sportsbook in Las Vegas. This Final Four matchup should be a tightly contested game throughout but Butler’s edge on the glass and Final Four experience should be the difference. Many teams have played great in NCAA Tournaments of the past only to reach the bright lights of the Final Four and see their season end badly by wilting under the pressure and big stage that is the Final Four. Butler head coach Brad Stevens will not have to worry about the pressure getting to his team while VCU’s head coach Shaka Smart will have to make sure the game doesn’t get out of hand too early. If VCU can keep it close early then this game should come down to the last few minutes. However, in the end, Butler is the better team and will make more plays to cover as -2.5 point favorites and reach the Final Four National Championship game monday night.

Butler vs VCU Final Four FREE PICK: Butler -2.5

2011 Final Four Semifinal Game 1: No. 11 VCU (28-11) vs No. 8 Butler (27-9)
Vegas Odds – Favorite: Butler -2.5 Total: Over/Under 133
Time: 6:09 PM EST
TV: CBS