The Florida Gators of the SEC and the Butler Bulldogs of the Horizon Conference have defied the odds and kicked a few folks out of the Southeast Regional of the 2011 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. This afternoon (4:30 pm ET), 2-seed Florida (29-7) and 8-seed Butler will play in New Orleans for the chance of making it to Houston to play in the Final Four of the Big Dance.
Odds makers at most off shore sports shops list the Gators as 4-chalk College Basketball Point Spreads favorites for the game against Butler with a combined point total of 132 1/2. Bulldogs backers are getting +165 odds on the off shore money line while the ML price on Florida winning SU is -190. For bettors unfamiliar with ML format wagering; in order to win $100 betting Florida, the bet requires $190 down, and Florida must win. If the player wagers for Butler to win SU, the pot is sweeter with a $165 pay-off on a $100 bet.
When previewing Florida and BYU for the 'Sweet 16' round, I said the Gators had been flying under the radar all season. Now the tournament is down to the Final-8 and the Gators are still here. As a matter of fact, two of the four SEC teams invited are still here but we'll save that for another blog. Butler, another 'under the radar' team jumps deeper into the NCAA tournament picture emerging as it did in 2010. These Bulldogs have become the ultimate bracket busters threatening to break into the Final-Four for the second straight year.
Early betting trends, invaluable tools for players making College Basketball Predictions , show the Gators getting the majority of action both ATS, by 73% and money line (68%) while a vast 87% majority are wagering the game score goes OVER the posted 132 ½ total set by odds makers.
For my College Basketball Picks I am taking the Florida Gators to continue on to Houston and the Final Four. Billy Donovon has proven year in and year out he is among the top two or three coaches in the nation. Florida doesn't get the credit as other teams because pundits see the SEC as a football league. NCAA Tournament BEST BET – Gators -4.
