| 2009 Final Four Picks |
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| Written by Matt Foust | |||||||
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Thursday, 02 April 2009
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The fight for the 2008-2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship will begin this Saturday, April 4th in Detroit, Michigan. The first game features a battle between 2009 Final Four picks Michigan State and Connecticut. It is set to tip off at 6:07pm ET at Ford Field and will be broadcast live on CBS. As the two seed out of the Midwest Region, Michigan State has not received a lot of love leading up to this point, as most people predicted top seeded Louisville to skate through the region with ease. Despite their dominating win over the Cardinals, Tom Izzo's squad is still being viewed as a dog against the Huskies. 2009 Final Four Picks at BetUS.com have the Spartans listed as a +4 against the spread underdog against UConn and at +525 moneyline odds to win the national championship. Michigan State fought their way past a tough group of opponents to reach their eighth Final Four. The Spartans battled Robert Morris, USC, Kansas, and Louisville in route to Detroit, winning by an average of 9.25 points per game. Their closest call came against the defending national champion Jayhawks in the Sweet 16 when they prevailed 67-62 on the strength of a late rally. The Spartans are averaging 70.5 points per game in this year's tournament and giving up a paltry 61.3 to their competition. Their superior play has translated into a 30-6 overall record and a 9-3 neutral site mark leading into Saturday's game with the Huskies. Spartans' center Goran Suton has been outstanding in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 14.25 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, as has point guard Kalin Lucas. Lucas has produced an average of 12.75 points and 4.75 assists in the Spartans four tournament victories. Tom Izzo has also seen big efforts from Raymar Morgan, Travis Walton, Draymond Greer, and Durrell Summers. For the tournament, Michigan State has outrebounded their oppostion 138 to 107 and limited them to a collective 25.5 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Spartans have hit 40 percent of their NCAA Tournament three point attempts. BetUS.com's 2009 Final Four Picks: North Carolina Tar Heels -125 Connecticut Huskies +225 Michigan State Spartans +525 Villanova Wildcats +700                        |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 04 April 2009 ) | |||||||
