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**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:05 PM

Baseball’s real Opening Day

The made for TV part of the beginning of the baseball season was last night, today we move ahead to the 13 parks stuffed with fans, the aroma of people grilling a collection of wonder foods and everyone is in good mood because baseball is back. This is yet another sign that warmer weather and outdoor activities are on the way and the local nine has yet to disappoint one person, plus the activity of watching scores from out-of-town ads to the experience. Let the romance begin with five nationally televised games.

St. Louis at Cincinnati 1:10E ESPN

No better place to start baseball than in Cincinnati, the first professional baseball team that started way back in 1869, then known as Red Stockings. While no one expects this Cincinnati team to start the way their predecessor did (the Red Stockings won 130 consecutive games from 1969-70), the Reds have good young talent with the likes of Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.

Aaron Harang makes his fifth consecutive Opening Day start and believes he’s made enough mechanical tweaks to fix what has caused him to lose 31 total games the two years. Harang is 7-10 with 4.54 ERA against St. Louis.

The Cardinals are favorites to win the NL Central, with the best hitter in baseball in Albert Pujols, now backed with coverage for the entire season by Matt Holiday. St. Louis also has arguably the best pitcher in the National League in Cris Carpenter who gets the start. The Cy Young runner-up last year is also making his fifth start in an opener and is 7-3 with low 2.11 ERA against the Reds.

Sportsbook.com has the Cards as -150 money line favorites, with total Un7.5. Carpenter is 39-22 in road games in the first half of the season in his career. This is the first time these two teams have squared off in game one of a new season since 1994.

Cleveland at Chicago White Sox 2:05E ESPN2

The Indians are being picked last in the AL Central by many baseball experts. That doesn’t mean the Indians are devoid of talent with CF Grady Sizemore, DH Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, SS Asdrubal Cabrera and players dripping with potential in Matt LaPorta and outfielder Michael Brantley. Pitching is the big concern in Cleveland and Jake Westbrook is the game one starter for the first time is five seasons. The Tribe is +160 money line road underdog with total at Un9 and Westbrook is 11-28 on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5. (Team's Record)

The White Sox open 2010 more athletic and presumably better defensively. They also have four very good starting pitchers which is why they should be competing for the division title. One of them is Mark Buehrle, making his franchise-record eighth Opening Day start, previously shared with Billy Pierce. The left-hander threw a perfect game last season and set a Major League record of 45 straight batters retired. Beuhrle is 76-46 all-time at U.S. Cellular Field and is 82-41 as a favorite of -125 to -175. (White Sox Record)

Chicago Cubs at Atlanta 4:10E ESPN

The Cubs and Braves enter 2010 with buoyed enthusiasm. Chicago got rid of clubhouse cancer Milton Bradley and added Marlon Byrd and Xavier Nady to their outfield mix, looking for more production. Manager Lou Pinella is hoping the injury bug stays away and that a 15 pounds lighter Carlos Zambrano can rebound from off year. Chicago is a +115 road dog and was undesirable 8-27 as an underdog of +100 to +150 last season, however Cubs fans could be mildly optimistic since Big Z is 41-20 as visitor when the total is 8.5 to 10. (Cubs Record)

Atlanta made bullpen modifications they believe will lead to more victories in skipper Bobby Cox swan song season. The venerable Cox likes his starting pitching and is excited about 20-year-old phenom Jason Heyward who brings power and speed to the Braves. Atlanta is 93-57 UNDER in the first half of the season over the last two seasons and Derek Lowe will be the Braves first hurler to toe the rubber.

San Francisco at Houston 7:05E ESPN2

The Giants look to take the next step after startling 88-win campaign and be in the hunt for division crown. Having back to back Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is a wonderful place to start and the front office thinks Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff will help the offense generate more runs, after averaging only 4.1 per game in 2009.

The best news out of Houston is new manager Brad Mills is earning glowing praise with his positive energy, however not one game has mattered yet. The pitching staff has been bolstered with Brandon Lyon, Brett Myers and Matt Lindstrom. Unfortunately, Lance Berkman begins the year on the DL. The Astros will have Roy Oswalt making his eighth consecutive Opening Day start, but his club is 2-5 in those contests despite a solid 3.35 from the right-hander, whose been nursing a sore left hamstring.

Houston is a +115 money line home underdog with total Un7.5, nonetheless the ‘Stros won all eight of Oswalt’s assignments against the NL West last season. San Francisco has to be considered dangerous anyways, with 40-22 mark when a -150 favorite or less and Lincecum is 2-0 with 1.67 ERA vs. Houston.

Minnesota at L.A. Angels 10:05E ESPN2

Only one game features division champions on Opening Day and that is in Anaheim with Minnesota beginning with the Angels. These two squads are different than a season ago, one presumably for the better and the other to be determined.

The Twins have a new combination up the middle with sportstop J.J. Hardy and 2B Orlando Hudson and Jim Thome returns to the AL Central as DH for Minnesota. Scott Baker is off a 15-win season, reestablishing himself as the masthead of the staff and he earns the Twins opening start. Baker is 0-4 in six starts in Anaheim with 5.59 ERA. The late innings will look a lot different for Minnesota fans with Joe Nathan gone for the year, setting up bullpen by committee with Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, Jon Rauch and Jesse Crain.

The Angels suffered some real blows in losing John Lackey, Vladimir Guerrero and Chone Figgins to other American League clubs and look to pick up the prices adding Joel Pineiro, Hideki Matsui and Brandon Wood in their places. The new lead-dog for the Halos is Jered Weaver, who is a laid-back Cali type, a far cry from Lackey’s bulldog tendencies. Nevertheless, Weaver is 27-12 at the Big A and big reason why the Angles are -140 money line choice with total listed at Ov7. The Twins were 27-11 UNDER in the in the first half of the last season.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:23 PM

Opening Day Battles

The Red Sox and Yankees may have kicked off the 2010 season on Sunday night, but the true opening for Major League Baseball is Monday. Bettors will be in gambling nirvana since there are 13 games on the schedule. We’re going to take a look at some early contests that caught my attention.

Phillies at Nationals – 1:05 p.m. EDT

The Phillies have been waiting all winter to use their brand new toy, Roy Halladay. How can you blame them though? Halladay has been one of the best starting pitchers in the game over the past decade for the Blue Jays, winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2003. He’s been great in his opening day starts, going 4-1 with a 4.38 earned run average and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5/1.

Washington fans were hoping to see Stephen Strasburg out on the hill for the season opener. They’re just going to have to make due on Monday afternoon with southpaw John Lannan. The young lefty had flashes of brilliance last season, but still only managed a 9-13 mark and 3.88 ERA in 2009. What will prove to be problematic is that the Phillies were the best team in the National League against left-handed pitching with 244 runs scored and a .248 batting average.

Most sportsbooks have tabbed Halladay and the Phils as $1.85 road faves (risk $185 to win $100) in this game with a total of 7 ½. Bettors wanting to take on the Nats for the win can expect a plus-175 return (risk $100 to win $175).

Given that knowledge of how the Phillies handled southpaws last season, it should come as no surprise that they were 7-2 in road day tilts against them in 2009.

The Nationals were just 13-29 last year when posted as home pups. Break that down to just NL East foes, and the Nats are 3-7 in their last 10.

Cubs at Braves – 4:10 p.m. EDT, ESPN

Not many teams will look at a second-place finish as a “disappointment,” but that’s what the Cubs would characterize the 2009 campaign as being. Chicago will look to get 2010 off to a good start by sending the always expressive Carlos Zambrano to the mound. Zambrano went just 9-7 with a 3.77 ERA in a season where he spent 42 days on the Disabled List. But it did look like the Cubbies were getting the most out of their ace at the end of the season with a 4-1 record in his last five starts of September.

Derek Lowe will be entrusted with the starting duties for the Braves on opening day. Lowe put up fairly standard numbers for what you’re used to seeing out of him for a season, going 15-10 with an ERA of 4.67. What could be an issue for the Atlanta 9 is the fact that he is 8-10 with a 4.68 ERA over the last three years in day games.

Despite those numbers, Lowe and Atlanta are listed as a $1.25 home “chalk” with a total of 8 ½. Gamblers can take on the Cubs for the outright win at plus-115.

The Braves being favored no doubt has something to do with the fact that they won last year’s head-to-head matchups with a 4-2 mark. The ‘under’ went 5-1 in those games as well.

Atlanta was just 8-10 when tabbed as a home fave during day games last season, going on a 0-4 run to close out the campaign.

Tigers at Royals – 4:10 p.m. EDT

Detroit begins the long healing process after its choke job of a year ago with ace righty Justin Verlander getting the start. Verlander was one of the best pitchers in baseball last season, evidenced by a 19-9 record to go along with an ERA of 3.45, which helped him finish third in Cy Young voting. His only real weakness was playing away from Comerica Park. Verlander was just 9-7 with a 4.04 ERA on the road in 2009 (10-2, 2.81 ERA at home).

The man that beat Verlander in for the AL Cy Young last season will also be opposing him on Monday afternoon as Zach Greinke starts for Kansas City. The righty from Orlando, Florida was positively dominant at Kaufman Stadium in 2009, going 16-8 with a solid ERA of 2.16 and almost a 5/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season.

Most betting outlets have installed the Royals as slight $1.15 home favorites with the total coming in at seven. The Tigers can be backed for a plus-105 return.

These teams split right down the middle with a 9-9 mark in last year’s head-to-head series. KC did close out the set strong with a 6-1 in its last seven battles with the Tigers. Don’t look for an advantage on the totals as they went 9-9 as well.

Verlander posted a strong 8-3 mark with a 2.23 in day games in 2009 for Detroit.

Greinke pitched in three day games as a home favorite in ’09, he lost two of them. The ‘over’ was 2-1 in that stretch.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:25 PM

Duke vs. Butler

Although Duke was made a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday, few experts felt like the Blue Devils were going to be playing for the national title in Indianapolis this season. Certainly not after they lost by double digits at North Carolina St. on Jan. 20, nor when they got throttled at Georgetown.

But Mike Krzyzewski’s team has turned it on after coasting through the ACC Tournament with three outright wins. Duke failed to cover in all three of those games against conference rivals, but the Blue Devils have taken the cash in all five of their NCAA Tournament games.

The three-headed scoring combination of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith stole the show in Saturday’s easier-than-anticipated 78-57 win over West Virginia in the national semifinals. Coach K’s squad hooked up its backers as short 2 ½-point favorites, while the ‘over’ hit when the 135 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 131-point total.

Scheyer, the senior combo guard, was nothing short of sensational, scoring 23 points while dishing out six assists compared to zero turnovers. Singler shook off an abysmal 0-for-10 shooting performance against Baylor in the Elite Eight to score 21 points, grab nine rebounds and dish out five assists. Smith finished with 19 points and like Scheyer, had six assists to zero turnovers.

Duke set a Final Four record by draining 13 attempts from 3-point range. Just like in the win over Baylor last Sunday, the Blue Devils nailed a number of 3-balls on clean looks after the team’s big men grabbed offensive rebounds and immediately kicked the ball back out before the WVU defense could recover.

In the first national-semifinal matchup, Butler beat Michigan St. 52-50 in a defensive struggle. Even though the Bulldogs had to play at crunch time without two of its best players in Matt Howard (‘mildest of mild’ concussion) and Shelvin Mack (thigh cramps), they collected the victory thanks to the brilliant play of sophomore forward Gordon Hayward.

Hayward scored 10 of his team’s first 11 points, knocking down his first four shots, including back-to-back treys that evened the game at 6-6 after the Spartans roared out to a 6-0 lead. Hayward would go on to finish with 19 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. His clutch bucket at the 1:40 mark put the Bulldogs ahead by a 50-46 score, and he sealed the victory by rebounding an intentional miss by Michigan St. at the charity stripe with two ticks left.

With Butler and Duke surviving Saturday, we’ve reduced the field from 65 to just two. And they meet Monday on CBS at 9:15 p.m. Eastern.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Duke (34-5 straight up, 23-12-2 against the spread) as a five-point favorite with a total of 129. However, the number was up to seven and as high as 7 ½ as of Sunday night. Bettors can take the Bulldogs to pull the upset for a plus-300 payout (risk $100 to win $300) at Sportsbook.com.

Butler has won 25 in a row and hasn’t tasted defeat since suffering a 67-57 loss at UAB way back on Dec. 22. The Bulldogs have beaten the likes of a No. 1 seed (Syracuse) and a No. 2 seed (Kansas St.), in addition to sending home Tom Izzo’s team that has been to six of the last 12 Final Fours.

The Bulldogs have found ways to win when trailing at halftime like in their first-round game against UTEP. They’ve found a way to win by getting stops at crunch time like in their second-round nail-biter against Murray St. And, as previously mentioned, they’ve won with Howard and Mack both nursing injuries, not to mention the victories in which Howard spent most of the game in foul trouble.

Mack will definitely play Monday, while Howard is listed as “questionable” and will be a game-time decision. Despite that shaky status, it says here that Howard is most certainly going to be on the court.

These schools only had a pair of common foes in Clemson and Georgetown. Duke hammered the Tigers in a pair of meetings, 74-53 in Durham and 60-47 in Littlejohn Coliseum. Butler lost a 70-69 decision to Clemson on a neutral court back in November. The Bulldogs lost to Georgetown 72-65 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Blue Devils went down 89-77 to the Hoyas at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

The ‘under’ is on a 9-1 run for Butler in its last 10 games, going 20-15 overall. Duke has seen the ‘under’ cash at a 22-16 overall clip.

Brad Stevens is aiming to become the second-youngest coach to win a national title at the age of 33. His Bulldogs have been listed as underdogs seven times, compiling a 3-4 SU record and a 4-3 ATS mark. Meanwhile, Duke has a 10-6-1 ATS ledger in 17 games as a single-digit favorite.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--For first-half wagers, most betting shops have Duke favored by four with the total in the 59-60 range.

--Butler and Duke last met on Jan. 30 of 2003 with the Blue Devils stroking the Bulldogs 80-60 as 14-point home favorites at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

--Butler is 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS in seven NCAA Tournament games during Stevens’ tenure. During his first year, the Bulldogs lost a 76-71 decision to Tennessee as 4 ½-point underdogs in the first round. During 2008-2009, LSU beat Butler 75-71 as a 1 ½-point favorite.

--The cramps and dehydration that kept Butler’s Mack on the sidelines for most of the last nine minutes against Michigan St might have been caused by food poisoning. "I think I had some food poisoning on Thursday," Mack said. "It was in a restaurant. I was throwing up real bad."

**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:43 PM

Howard has 'mildest of mild' concussion

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Butler center Matt Howard was held out of Sunday's practice and could miss Monday night's NCAA championship game with a concussion.

Team trainer Ryan Galloy said Howard took two blows in Saturday's 52-50 victory over Michigan State, first banging his head on the floor after a violent collision with two other players and then taking an elbow to the head after he returned to the game. After the second shot, he again left the floor and did not come back.

Galloy described the injury as the ``mildest of mild concussions.''

``He was woozy, kind of out of it, lethargic, he had a headache,'' Galloy said. ``After the game, he was fine. He wasn't feeling sick, he ate.''

Howard, who was not available for comment Sunday, is scheduled to be re-evaluated Monday morning.

Coach Brad Stevens said Howard's status would be a game-time decision.

``His health is of numero uno priority, and if he can't play, he can't play,'' Stevens said. ``It will have to be the next man up.''

Galloy did not specify what tests Howard would undergo but said doctors and coaches expect Howard to give honest descriptions of how he feels.

``There's been a lot in the news about concussions, and it's not as cut and dry as people want to make it,'' Galloy said. ``Matt has never had a concussion, which is good, so it's not like when you get a football player who has had five or six of them. That would be another story. Each one is different. We've had guys with mild concussions who haven't gotten better for weeks.''

Howard walked into practice Sunday with his teammates wearing his usual workout gear - shorts, a white tank top and a T-shirt underneath.

If Howard cannot play, Butler would be missing its No. 3 scorer, its second-leading rebounder and its strongest post player. He averages 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and was the 2008-09 Horizon League player of the year.

Howard's teammates, however, expect their 6-foot-8 center to be on the court against Duke.

``I talked to him this morning, and I think he will play,'' junior guard Zach Hahn said.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:46 PM

Duke, Butler not as different as you think

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Yes, it's a matchup pitting a cute bulldog against a devil, America's favorite underdog against the team people love to hate.

Dig a little deeper, though, and basketball fans might see two programs, Butler and Duke, who come from almost the same place.

The teams playing for the national championship Monday hail from small, private schools that don't simply open their doors to anyone. They're located in different parts of the America, but both deep in the heart of basketball country. And neither pays mere lip service to the classroom.

Either way, it's Duke going for its fourth national title and Butler going for its first. The Blue Devils are 7-point favorites against the Bulldogs, who have a nation-leading 25-game winning streak.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:51 PM

Butler's NCAA run is a great story

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -No one told basketball purists you're not supposed to mess with a Hollywood script.

As most everybody characterizes Butler's run to the national championship game as a ``Cinderella story'' and Monday night's game against Duke as ``David vs. Goliath,'' basketball insiders say get the story straight.

Yes, Butler is a first-time Final Four team that is the first school from the Horizon League to get this far. Yes, Butler is a small school (enrollment 4,200) with a home court that has a rich basketball history. Yes, parts of the movie ``Hoosiers'' were filmed in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Throw out the script and read the scouting report.

These guys are good, very good. The front of the jerseys read Butler, who just happens to be the No. 11 team in the Top 25.

This is not George Mason.

``In order to achieve what Butler has, it's something that doesn't happen overnight, not in just a year,'' said Jim Larranaga, the coach of the No. 11 seed George Mason team that shocked college basketball by reaching the Final Four in 2006. ``It's a level of success that comes over a lengthy period of time.''

This was the fourth straight year the Bulldogs went to the NCAA tournament, and this was the second time in that stretch they were a No. 5 seed. That means the committee had them in the top 25 teams in the field.

Butler has been in the NCAA tournament 10 times, and it reached the round of 16 in 2003 and 2007. Including this year, the Bulldogs have won 10 NCAA tournament games since 2001.

``They don't have the same players and coach every year, but there is a system in place there,'' Larranaga said Sunday. ``I'm not saying what we did was a fluke, but what we did is only similar in that it was two programs operating at a very very high level of competition compared to the high majors on a lot less of a budget.''

Duke was ranked as high as third this season and never fell below 10th. Butler was ranked as 11th and is on a 25-game winning streak. The Bulldogs' non-conference schedule was deemed the toughest in the country by the computer ratings.

``What makes our run so special was the programs we beat along the way - Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut were all previous national champions,'' Larranaga said. ``Connecticut started five NBA players. We were a true mid-major with no NBA players. Butler has Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack who will play in the NBA. We did it truly as a team, and we didn't play real slow either. It's not a surprise what Butler has done. They were 11th in the preseason poll and the top 15, 20 teams have a shot to get to the Final Four. To win a national championship you have to get lucky, get a break or two. That program has been on par with a lot of the high majors for an extended period of time.''

Maybe we should blame the term mid-major. It means a team from a non-BCS conference. So if you don't play in the Big East, ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-10 you're a mid-major. But there are exceptions. Butler is one just like Memphis in 2008 or Marquette in 2003 or Utah in 1998 or Massachusetts in 1996.

Some schools just don't deserve the mid-major tag. There are great basketball programs that just don't happen to have big-time football teams. Try telling UNLV that when it won it all in 1990 and came within a last-second shot of possibly repeating.

``UNLV, according to my thinking, was not a mid-major in the 1990s when it was No. 1 in the country,'' Larranaga said. ``Everybody thought Gonzaga would be the one to break through. But it was Butler.''

So save the fairy tale comparisons and the Hollywood endings. It's Duke vs. Butler. It's either one major program getting its fourth national championship or another major program getting its first.

Just ask Duke senior guard Jon Scheyer if it's ``David vs. Goliath.''

``For us, it's not how we look at it at all,'' he said. ``They've been a top 10 team the whole year. We know how great of a team they are, especially watching on tape. Looking at it like that, I don't think that's the right way to look at it. Those guys have beat a lot of great teams, big-time programs. You know, for us, that's not how we view it.''

**StarDust Bum** · 04-04-2010, 11:54 PM

7-footer Zoubek comes up big for Duke

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Brian Zoubek finally is playing as big as his 7-foot-1 frame.
After helping Duke outmuscle one of the toughest teams in the NCAA tournament, the late-blooming Zoubek has the Blue Devils (34-5) poised to win their fourth national championship when they face hometown underdog Butler (33-4) on Monday night.

On a team dominated by its ``Big Three'' scorers, it's Zoubek who has emerged as the biggest surprise and is a major reason why Duke is still playing.

``(Opponents) haven't seen me as much. They see a 7-foot-1 white guy who can't move extremely well, can't jump that high,'' Zoubek said. ``I'm proving it every single day out there on the court. A couple screens, and I'll get a little more respect, you know?''

After moving into the starting lineup two months ago, Zoubek followed a strong push at the close of the regular season with even better play in the postseason, grabbing at least 10 rebounds in three of his last four tournament games.

Zoubek always was the poster child for what coach Mike Krzyzewski has said is his biggest team in three decades at Duke, and there is no shortage of reasons for his recent surge: He is finally healthy after some nagging injuries, he's developed a nose for rebounds and he is effective at kicking the ball out for open 3-pointers from teammates who are more comfortable with him.

But perhaps the simplest explanation for his improvement fits best.

``Because he's a big guy,'' guard Nolan Smith quipped. ``He knows how to use his size. He's getting great position on rebounds, he's playing hard and he's making it hard for teams to do anything in the paint with him in there. He's moving his feet great. ... Moving the way he does, it's hard to deal with.''

It took him 3 1/2 years to make himself a vital member of the rotation, with his average playing time climbing from 12 minutes last year to 18 this year. It helped that foot injuries he battled as a sophomore and junior have healed.

``We're really going to study and document the road that he's traveled from freshman to senior year because he's a great example for a lot of kids that aren't playing a lot as a freshman, about embracing your role, getting better, doing whatever the team needs to do,'' Butler coach Brad Stevens said. ``Now you see what a powerful figure he is on that team.''

After coming off the bench for the first 24 games, Zoubek was inserted into the starting lineup Feb. 13 against Maryland - then never left it.

``It's a process. A lot of days in the gym, a lot of sweat, a lot of hatred toward (assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski) for all the stuff he put me through,'' Zoubek said with a laugh. ``But it was all worth it. It's hard to see the future in all the work you put in. How's it going to help you, and is it worth it? It is. This really proves that.''

West Virginia, one of the nation's top rebounding teams, couldn't keep Zoubek off the boards in the semifinals Saturday night. He had 10 rebounds and three assists - a product of Duke's rebound-and-kick strategy - in a surprisingly lopsided 78-57 victory over the Mountaineers that put the Blue Devils in the championship game for the 10th time in school history.

``We're happy about the West Virginia win, but as soon as we got into the locker room, it was, 'Next play,''' Zoubek said. ``No time to celebrate. Everybody just said, 'One more.' That was our goal this whole tournament, and it's right here.''

Next up: A Bulldogs team that doesn't play anyone taller than 6-9 and may be without its best post player. Matt Howard, who's 6-8, will be a game-time decision after suffering a head injury during Butler's semifinal win against Michigan State.

``We're going to be smaller than them, no matter what we do,'' Stevens said.

The plan, Zoubek said, is to make their size work for them, as they've done all through the tournament. The blue-blooded program has dominated most games with blue-collar dedication to defense and rebounding. Duke is allowing just 56 points per game and has an average rebounding margin of plus-9 in the tournament.

``We have to take advantage of our size on both ends of the court, really bother them when they get into the lane on defense,'' Zoubek said. ``Taking charges, blocking shots, defensive rebounding, then really hitting the offensive glass, trying to establish a little more post scoring in the game. They've done a great job against bigger guys, so I know it's going to be tough.''

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2010, 12:15 AM

Can a shorthanded Butler squad keep up with Duke?

It's the National Championship Game and it seems bettors are split on the line. Can Butler knock off a second No. 1 seed and secure the first National title for a mid major since 1990 or will Duke's big three carry them past Butler's stingy defense?

Our writers had strong opinions on the matter so we decided to let them open up the arguement.

Patrick Garbin has been covering the South region and explains why the Bulldogs will be outclassed.

Why Duke will cover the spread:

First and foremost, the Bulldogs are going to have a difficult time against the Blue Devils' big men, in particular, center Brian Zoubek (5.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 64 FG percent), who has averaged more than 11 rebounds per the last four games.

Duke ranks 12th in the nation in rebounding margin (+6.7), grabbed 22 offensive boards against Baylor to reach the Final Four and had a 19-7 advantage in second-chance points against West Virginia on Saturday. Butler, just as the Mountaineers experienced, really doesn't have anyone inside who can control Zoubek and company.

The Bulldogs must make their shots from the perimeter to have any chance to win the national title. The problem is the Bulldogs have made only 34 percent of their treys for both the season (176th in nation) and tournament. In addition, Duke is the second-best team in college basketball in defending the 3 (28.1 percent).

West Virginia had been playing better defense than anyone in the country and was assumed to give at least one, if not all three, of Duke's "big three" fits. The tremendous trio of Jon Scheyer (18.3 ppg, 4.8 apg), Nolan Smith (17.5 ppg, 3.0 apg) and Kyle Singler (17.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) responded by all playing complete games in the 78-57 victory. The three combined for 63 points, made 12 of 23 three pointers and had 17 assists to only three turnovers.

To make matters worse for Butler on Monday, starters Shelvin Mack (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Matt Howard (11.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) are suffering from injuries and, even if both play, they certainly won't be at 100 percent against their toughest test all season.

Much has been made regarding the crowd partial to Butler inside Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. Don't believe the hype. Such a throng would be a factor against many teams but not when it concerns the disciplined Blue Devils. Coach K's crew will be hardly phased by the pro-Bulldog crowd.

Cinderella's run finally comes to an end while Goliath actually slays David in this clash. Similarly to its game against West Virginia, Duke will have little trouble with Butler.

Prediction: Duke 76, Butler 58

Scott Cooley has been all over the West region for Covers. He gives reasons why Butler backers should be confident going into Monday's game.

Why Butler will cover the spread:

How can a team shoot 31 percent for the game and fail to register a field goal for 10 minutes in the second half but still win?

By never diverting from the offensive game plan and playing sound defense – the Butler way.

During the tournament, the Bulldogs have trailed early, at halftime and late in games but the team never panics, never gets flustered and always shows remarkable resiliency.

"One thing about us is there's never a sense of fear," Ronald Nored said. "We're confident in everything we do."

Butler’s defensive confidence has to be sky-high at this point in the season. The Bulldogs have held 14 of their last 15 opponents under 60 points.

All five NCAA tournament opponents were denied reaching the 60-point barrier which marked the first time in the shot clock era a team has accomplished the feat. The last team to do it – Villanova in 1985 – won the national title.

Even with two of its three best players (Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard) seeing a combined 40 minutes of action on Saturday, this Butler squad still found a way to beat Tom Izzo’s Spartans.

How did they do it? Coach Brad Stevens said it’s because his players are “putting aside their individual talent for the betterment of the team.”

The intangible characteristics Butler is comprised of points to an unlikely team of destiny.

The Bulldogs forced Michigan State into 16 turnovers, held them to zero fast-break points and beat the Spartans in the offensive rebounding category 10 to 6.

Butler will have to aggressively crash the boards again on Sunday because Duke has lived on the offensive glass. They will be greatly undersized in this matchup, once again, especially if big man Matt Howard is unable to go.

But how many times have you heard the phrase: "(team name) is going to be just too much for Butler in the end" from the supposed experts? At least four games now…don’t listen to the nonsense this time.

As long as Coach K doesn’t have the refs in his back pocket (as he has most of the tourney), the Bulldogs will have a chance to win their 26th straight game and their first national championship.

Prediction: Butler 67, Duke 63

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2010, 12:18 AM

Line moves: Hearts are on Butler, but money is on Duke

Butler may have captured the hearts of Americans, but Duke continues to have a stranglehold on their wallets.

At least that's the case for tonight's NCAA final between the two teams at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Shortly after the horn sounded on Duke's beat-down of West Virginia on Saturday night, the Blue Devils opened as 6.5-point favorites over the Bulldogs, who edged Michigan State earlier in the evening.

The line already has climbed to as high as 7.5 at most books as heavy action comes in on Duke, which is seeking its fourth NCAA title while Butler has never gotten this far before. The total also has undergone a slight adjustment, dropping from 130 to 128 at some books.

The numbers add up for a Cinderella vs. Godzilla matchup, but run contrary to national sentiment. Most Americans are either rooting for the underdog Bulldogs or against the powerhouse Blue Devils, who have become the team people love to hate.

But they love them on the betting board, especially since Duke has covered the spread against every team it has faced in the Tournament. The Blue Devils were near flawless on Saturday, shooting better than 50 percent (13 for 25) from 3-point range.

Butler won its 25th straight and held yet another tournament opponent to fewer than 60 points. But the little team that could is having a hard time convincing bettors that they are the smart money Monday night.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2010, 10:17 AM

April's Preseason's Results:

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

04/03/10 9-3-1 75.00% +3490 Detail
04/02/10 8-3-2 72.73% +2560 Detail
04/01/10 1-8-0 11.11% -3680 Detail

Totals 18-14-3 56.25% +2370

Monday, April 5Game Score Status Pick Amount

Philadelphia - 1:05 PM ET Washington +188 300
Washington - Over 7.5 300

St. Louis - 1:10 PM ET Cincinnati +132 500 ( DOG POD )
Cincinnati - Over 7.5 500 ( POD TOTAL )

Florida - 1:10 PM ET Florida +109 300
NY Mets - Under 7 300

LA Dodgers - 1:35 PM ET Pittsburgh +122 300
Pittsburgh - Over 8.5 300

Cleveland - 2:05 PM ET Cleveland +149 500 ( AL DOG POD )
Chi. White Sox - Over 9 500

Toronto - 2:05 PM ET Texas -143 500
Texas - Under 9 500

Colorado - 2:10 PM ET Colorado +111 400
Milwaukee - Under 7.5 400

Detroit - 4:10 PM ET Kansas City -111 300
Kansas City - Over 7 500

Chi. Cubs - 4:10 PM ET Chi. Cubs +123 300
Atlanta - Under 8.5 500 ( POD TOTAL )

San Diego - 5:10 PM ET San Diego +179 300
Arizona - Over 8 300

San Francisco - 7:05 PM ET Houston +116 500 ( NL DOG POD )
Houston - Over 7 500

Minnesota - 10:05 PM ET LA Angels -129 500
LA Angels - Under 8.5 500

Seattle - 10:05 PM ET Oakland +113 500
Oakland - Over 7 500

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2010, 10:29 AM

Blue Monday for Butler and Duke

It comes down to this. Yahoo Sports probably had it best with this headline –David vs. Duke. The lovable Butler Bulldogs have captured college basketball’s imagination with its improbable run to the national championship game with a coach and its best player looking younger than next year’s incoming recruiting class. Big bad Duke, sort of the New York Yankees of the hardwood, is loved by their fans hated by everyone else.

This is setting up as the sequel of “Hoosiers”, just in modern day. A band of talented young men led a by a coach who looks like an AAU coach just out of college goes to the sports title game in the school’s home city and nearby Hinkle Fieldhouse (the team’s real home) is replaced by Lucas Oil Stadium. This is so ridiculous a movie producer would can the screen play as a joke.

There is no joking about the talent of Gordon Hayward, who had 19 points and nine rebounds in the first Final Four contest and was the calmest player you will ever see when introduced for a big game. Butler (33-4, 17-20 ATS) has won 25 contents in a row and knocked off Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State, after many had believed they could have lost to UTEP or Murray State in their first two encounters of this tournament.
Even losing coach Tom Izzo was impressed.

“If I was not playing, I'd be a Butler fan," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "I like they way they play, I like their story. They play like a Big Ten team." The Bulldogs are now 26-14 ATS in non-conference games over the last three seasons.

Duke’s return to prominence has some people feeling blue. The Blue Devils (34-5, 23-14-1 ATS) are back, playing with that confidence that comes from wearing a uniform that many consider a four-letter word. Coach Mike Krzyzewski had his team so well prepared it looked like a scrimmage against West Virginia at various points of the game.

Duke regularly solved the Mountaineers switching defense, getting a number of shot attempts within four feet of the rim. Once West Virginia players became overly conscious of Blue Devils players on the inside, it was target practice, as the Big 3 (Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer) shredded their defense on 12 for 23 shooting behind the three-point line.

The Blue Devils are 19-11 ATS after playing four consecutive games as favorite this season and know this isn’t about just three players shooting the ball well.

“We won this game as a team," Singler said. "It wasn't just put on my shoulders, or Jon's or Nolan's. We won this game from all sides contributing."

Part of the team is a man possessed, center Brian Zoubek who again pulled down 10 rebounds. His determination, which borders on serious anger, has him pulling down rebounds like mad man from a Rob Zombie movie. As Duke goes after its fourth national championship for Coach K, this is how Zoubek feels. “This is the culmination of four years for me. To have a shot at the championship my senior year, after everything we've been through, is a dream come true."

Duke was near perfect against West Virginia and they are 9-1 ATS after a game committing eight or less turnovers which plays a part why Sportsbook.com has them as 7.5-point favorites, with total of 128.5. Coach Krzyzewski is making sure everyone knows that despite Butler not having the brand recognition of the team he coach’s, this opponent is no fairy tale.

“I think they're one of the best teams in the country," Krzyzewski said of Butler. "I think a Cinderella would be more if somebody had eight or nine losses and pulled some upsets." The Devils are 12-5 ATS versus defensive teams allowing 64 or fewer points a game this season and are 8-1 UNDER after they’ve made 50 percent or more of their three-point shots the last three years.

Butler could start this game at a real disadvantage, considering Duke’s size and rebounding ability. Forward Matt Howard did not practice with his team Sunday and is a "game-time decision" according to his coach Brad Stevens. Howard is averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and would be sorely missed. Butler guard Shelvin Mack said he suffered cramps and will be ready.

Butler’s help-defense has become the talk of the tournament, along with its incredible patience on offense, which is why they are 12-5 ATS after one or more Under’s this year. The Bulldogs are 11-2 OVER after scoring 60 points or less.

This matchup seems real simple, Butler cannot shoot 30.6 percent like they did against the Spartans and they cannot allow Duke to convert 52.7 percent as they did vs. West Virginia. If the Blue Devils are raining shots, Duke covers and wins convincingly. However, if the Bulldogs find three players to make shots consistently, box-out effectively to draw Duke fouls, where they can march to the charity stripe and convert 73.8 percent like they have all season, well, it is game on.

No matter what, one team will be blue and green with envy.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2010, 01:30 PM

Monday, April 5Game Score Status Pick Amount

Boston - 7:00 PM ET Boston +133 500 ( NHL POD )
Washington - Over 6 500

Columbus - 8:00 PM ET Columbus +156 500
St. Louis - Over 5.5 500

Minnesota - 9:30 PM ET Edmonton +106 500
Edmonton - Over 5.5 500

**bryce** · 04-05-2010, 02:12 PM

Thanks SDB and Good luck!

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2010, 05:56 PM

FOR ALL THE MARBLES:

Monday, April 5Game Score Status Pick Amount

Butler - 9:15 PM ET Butler +7 500
Duke - Under 128.5 500

( A TWO TEAM PARLAY FOR A CNOTE )

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