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**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:42 AM

NCAA Betting Preview: Butler faces Florida Gators

Even after last season’s near miss, the betting markets haven’t given Butler its proper due.

What else do the Bulldogs need to do to earn respect?

Butler, a mid-major power from the Horizon League, has won at least 20 games for six consecutive seasons. The Bulldogs nearly upset Duke in last year’s NCAA Tournament championship game, losing 61-59 as seven-point ‘dogs.

The 26-9 Bulldogs were underdogs in all three of their NCAA Tournament games this season, but have emerged to face Florida in the Southeast Regional final in New Orleans Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PT on CBS.

Florida, the second-seed in the regional, opened 3 ½-point favorites with an ‘over/under’ of 131, according to numbers posted Thursday night at Pinnaclesports.com.

Never mind the Bulldogs being seeded eighth in the regional. They probably shouldn’t have been an underdog to No. 4 Wisconsin. That was proven this past Thursday when Butler beat the Badgers, 61-54, as 4 ½-point ‘dogs. The combined 115 points dipped ‘under’ the 123-point total.

Butler reached that game by getting past Old Dominion, 60-58, as one-point ‘dogs in the first round. The combined 118 points went ‘under’ the 123 ½-point total.

The Bulldogs took out Pittsburgh, the top seed in the Southeast Regional, 71-70 as eight-point underdogs in the second round. The combined 141 points went ‘over’ the 125-point total.

Pittsburgh and Old Dominion were two of the best rebounding teams in the country, while Wisconsin ranked No. 1 in assist-to-turnover ratio.

These kind of big victories are nothing new for Butler, which knocked off Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Few anticipated the Bulldogs being this close to another Final Four appearance after losing Gordon Hayward to the NBA’s Utah Jazz. But the Bulldogs still have star power with forward Matt Howard and guard Shelvin Mack.

Mack is averaging 19.3 points per game in the tournament while Howard is averaging 17 points a game.

Butler has won 12 games in a row going 8-3-1 ATS. Florida, however, also is a hot team. The Gators have won every game against teams not named Kentucky since January.

This includes NCAA Tournament victories against UC Santa Barbara, 79-51, as 12 ½-point favorites, 73-65 versus UCLA as 5 ½-point ‘chalk’ and getting past BYU and Jimmer Fredette, 83-74, in overtime this past Thursday as 2 ½-point favorites.

It was the Cougars who eliminated Florida in last year’s NCAA Tournament, 99-92, in double overtime during the first round.

Florida, 29-7, last reached a regional final in 2007 when it won the Big Dance for the second consecutive year.

The Gators have tremendous depth inside with Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus, Patric Young and Erick Murphy. They also have an excellent backcourt in Kenny Boynton, who had 17 points and five assists versus BYU, and playmaker Ervin Walker.

Florida coach Billy Donovan has a veteran team with all five starters back from last year. The Gators have posted 13 consecutive seasons of at least 20 victories.

The Gators are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games. One of their few weaknesses is free throw shooting. They rated 260th in the land during the regular season making only 66.4 percent.

However, during their first two NCAA Tournament games, the Gators sank 26 of 34 from the charity stripe for 76 percent. The Gators reverted back to their poor free throw shooting against BYU, though, making just 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) from the foul line. Butler is a 73.1 percent free throw shooting team.

The ‘under’ has cashed in seven of Butler’s last nine games. Florida has gone ‘over’ in 12 of its last 14 games, including all three in the NCAA Tournament.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:43 AM

Florida Gators, Butler vye for Final Four betting spot

The last time Florida faced Butler in the NCAA tourney, the Gators won by eight.
A spot in the Final Four is on the line Saturday when 8th-seeded Butler faces 2nd-seeded Florida in the final of the Southeast Region.

The Bulldogs are trying to reach the Final Four for the second consecutive betting season and they have wins over Old Dominion, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin. Florida has wins over Cal-Santa Barbara, UCLA and BYU.

Florida is a three-point favorite with a total of 131½ at *** Global.com.

Butler continues to surprise people again in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are once again getting no respect from the oddsmakers as the underdogs, but all they do is find ways to win.

Head coach Brad Stevens always has his team well prepared. The Bulldogs are a veteran team led by senior Matt Howard who had a double-double in the win over Wisconsin. Butler totally shut down the Wisconsin offense on Thursday night and they will look to frustrate the Gators on Saturday.

Florida got a big game from senior Alex Tyus in the Sweet 16 to beat BYU in overtime. The Gators took advantage of BYU’s lack of size and pounded the ball inside. Florida may try to do the same thing to Butler although the Bulldogs will not be as soft as the Cougars were.

The Gators do have a good guard combination of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, plus they have SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons.

The Gators and Bulldogs have played each other twice in NCAA Tournament betting history and Florida has won both meetings. The Gators won in 2000 in the first round in a fantastic finish that saw Florida pull off a 69-68 victory on a last-second shot. The Gators lost in the NCAA title game that season to Michigan State.

Butler and Florida played again in 2007 and it was another close game until the last couple of minutes when the Gators pulled away to win by eight points. Florida won their second straight national title that season.

Here are the betting stats for Saturday’s game:

•The Bulldogs are 14-2 ATS in their last 16 neutral site games.
•Butler is 36-14-1 ATS in its last 51 games as an underdog.
•The Gators are 6-0 ATS in their last six non-conference games.
•Florida is 7-1 ATS the last eight times out as the favorite.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:43 AM

NBA Odds: Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks will go for the season sweep when they take on the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Saturday's tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (PT) and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

Dallas erased an early March slide with three wins in its last four games, including a 101-73 victory over Golden State last Sunday as an 8 ½-point home favorite and a 104-96 win over Minnesota Thursday night as a 15-point home favorite.

The Mavericks are now 50-21 straight-up overall and 37-32-2 against the spread. They have a solid hold on the third spot in the Western Conference standings with a 3 ½-game lead over Oklahoma City, but still have designs on moving up to second given they are only a game in back of the LA Lakers.

Dirk Nowitzki continues to lead the way with a team-high 23.4 points and 6.9 rebounds a game, while Jason Terry is averaging 16.3 points and 4.2 assists off the bench. Shawn Marion remains a key contributor with an average of 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds and Tyson Chandler is the leading rebounder with 9.4 a game.

The Mavericks are ranked 12th in the league in scoring with 100.3 points a game and 10th in points allowed; giving up an average of 96.2 making them one of the more balanced teams in the NBA. Dallas has the third best shooting percentage from the floor, hitting 47.7 percent of its shots and is converting on 37 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc.

Utah appears to be riding out the string with six losses in its last eight games including four straight heading into this game. The Jazz earned a ‘push’ against Oklahoma City in a 106-94 loss this past Wednesday as a 12-point road underdog. Thursday night they dropped a 121-117 OT decision to New Orleans as a five-point home underdog. They are currently in 11th place in the West with an overall record of 36-37 SU (31-40-2 ATS).

There are some injury concerns for the Jazz heading into this game with both Devin Harris and Andrei Kirilenko listed as day-to-day with leg injuries. If they cannot go it will be up to Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap to carry most of the load for the Jazz. Jefferson leads the team with 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds and Millsap is second with 17.4 points and 7.9 rebounds.

Utah is ranked just above the Mavericks in scoring with 100.4 points a game, but it is giving up an average of 101.8 on the defensive side. It is shooting 46.6 percent from the field but just 34.6 percent from three-point range. The Jazz remain one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with an average of just 39.5 boards a game.

Dallas is 1-3 ATS in its last four road games and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in its last three games.

Utah is 3-0 ATS in its last three games at home and 4-1-1 ATS in its last six games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of its last eight games.

Head-to-head, the Mavericks have won five of the last seven games SU including three previous victories this season. They won 93-81 as a four-point road underdog and 103-97 as a 5 ½-point home favorite in December and then rolled to a 118-99 victory on Feb. 23 as a 10-point home favorite to cover the spread in all three games. The total went ‘over’ in the last two games.

This time around Dallas should open as a road favorite. The actual number will hinge on the status of Harris and Kirilenko, but the Mavs remain a solid pick as long as the line stays under six points.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:44 AM

NHL odds: Clipped Red Wings host Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs, fighting for their playoff lives, bring a three-game winning streak into Detroit on Saturday night to play an injured Wings squad that is in the midst of a three-game losing skid. The NHL network will televise the contest from Joe Louis Arena starting at 4 p.m. (PT).

The overnight line from Sports Club has the Wings as hefty 220 home favorites, with the total set at 5 ½ goals.

Toronto is coming off Thursday’s 4-3 victory against the Colorado Avs as a slight 110 road favorite. It was Toronto’s seventh win in their last 10 away games and evened the club’s road ledger at 17-17-2-1.

More importantly, the victory moved the Leafs three points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The two teams will meet next Tuesday in Toronto.

Though the combined seven goals skipped ‘over’ the 5 ½-goal closing total, the ‘under’ is still 39-34-2 in Toronto’s first 75 overall outings.

Nikolai Kulemin had a huge night for the Leafs, scoring twice in the first period to reach 28 goals on the season. Phil Kessel picked up his first goal in six games, giving him a team-leading 29. He is now one shy of hitting 30 for the third year in a row.

Goalie James Reimer continued his solid play, robbing Milan Hejduk twice and Ryan Stoa once on the same shift as the Avs pressed for the equalizer late in the second period. Reimer finished with 25 saves and raised his record to 17-7-2-2. He also gas a 2.51 GAA, a nifty .924 save percentage and three shutouts.

Toronto, now 15-8-3 since the all-star break, is still having difficulty putting the puck in the opposition’s net. The Leafs are averaging 2.6 goals per game and are connecting on just 16 percent of their power play chances. They rank 24th in both categories.

Detroit saw its losing skid reach three games with Wednesday’s 2-1 setback against Vancouver as a 110 home favorite. It was the Wings’ sixth loss in their last 10 games and allowed San Jose to tie them for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with 95 points.

The combined three goals dipped below the 5 ½-goal closing total, leaving the ‘under’ 6-2 in Detroit’s last eight games.

Goal scoring is not normally a problem for the Wings, evidenced by their No. 3 offensive ranking at 3.2 GPG. However, the Wings have now notched two goals or less in six of their last 10 games.

Much of the goal-scoring slump can be attributed to a slew of injuries to Detroit’s top forwards. That trend could continue Friday, as the Don Best Sports injury report lists Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and Todd Bertuzzi as “doubtful.”

Datsyuk, Detroit’s No. 2 offensive threat with 22 goals and 35 assists, has missed the club’s last three games with a lower body injury. Franzen, with 27 goals and 24 assists, has sat out the last two contests with a groin injury.

Goaltending and defense continue to be a concern for the Wings. Jimmy Howard has dropped six of his last nine starts and has a bloated 2.77 GAA in 57 appearances. He also has an unimpressive .909 save percentage and just two shutouts.

Detroit ranks 17th defensively, allowing 2.8 goals per game. It’s a good thing the Wings are whistled for the fewest penalties in the league because their penalty killing ranks a mediocre 14th with an 83.1 percent success rate.

This will be the only meeting between these two Original Six franchises, but Toronto has captured the last three matchups and four of the last five. The ‘over’ is 6-3-1 in the last 10 overall meetings and 4-1 in the last five at Joe Louis Arena.

Toronto is off until next Tuesday when the club hosts Buffalo. Detroit continues its five-game homestand Monday against the defending champion Blackhawks.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:45 AM

Washington Capitals top NHL betting 'unders'

The ’under’ has cashed 29 times in 37 road games for Washington.
The National Hockey League’sregular season only has a couple of weeks remaining before the annual run to the Stanley Cup. Teams are more concerned right now with finishing strong, improving their playoff positioning and getting healthy.

This also marks a great time to check out league totals in an effort to pad your payroll before the postseason begins. There are a couple of interesting trends to focus on before the regular season wraps up in early April.

Washington (43-21-10) is a squad to keep an eye on the next couple of weeks, and not because the team sits atop the Southeast Division standings and is second in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have seen the ‘under’ go an incredible 53-20-1 that includes a 24-12-1 ledger at their home, and a stellar 29-8 on enemy ice.

Washington is the only team in the Southeast Division to have a positive scoring differential at +23, scoring 203 goals while yielding 180. The Capitals rank second in the league in penalty-kill percentage (85.9) and fourth in goals against (2.4). Washington is just 20th in the league in goals per game, lighting the lamp an average of 2.7 times per contest.

Another team to keep an eye on the next couple of weeks concerning totals is New Jersey. The Devils are on the outside looking in for the playoffs, but they have seen the ‘under’ go a bankable 42-20.

New Jersey (34-35-4) is languishing in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, mainly because the team is a -31 in scoring differential. The Devils have scored just 155 times this season, while surrendering 186 goals. New Jersey has seen the ‘under’ go 21-11-4 at home, and a solid 21-9-7 on the road.

There are just eight teams in the league that have seen the ‘over’ occur more than the ‘under’ this season, led by Colorado (28-37-8). The Avalanche have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and they will be playing out the string.

However, it would behoove you to follow Colorado armed with an ‘over’ record of 46-26. The Avs have seen the ‘over’ go a modest 19-16-1 when playing away from home, but the ‘over’ is an incredible 27-10 on Pepsi Center ice. The main reason for all the ‘over’ outings is Colorado’s porous defense, ranking 30th in the league by allowing an average of 3.5 goals per game.

Pittsburgh (43-23-8) is a solid playoff contender despite suffering some injuries and suspensions to key players. The Penguins have already posted 94 points this season, and would host a first-round series as the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed if the regular season ended today.

But more importantly, Pittsburgh has seen the ‘under’ go 45-26-3. The ‘under’ has been a solid selection in both home and away games, going 23-12-2 at Consol Energy Center and 22-14-1 on the road. The Penguins have a +33 scoring differential, scoring 215 goals while yielding just 182.

So even though the NHL’s regular season is winding down, this marks the best time of the year to cash in on total trends in pro hockey rinks across the country.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:46 AM

Playoff Chase

March 26, 2011

The NBA playoffs should be fantastic this season with a few marquee match-ups likely coming between several star players. Most of those big series will be in the second round and later, however as the first round may not live up to the build up of the playoffs that will come in the next few weeks. There is still some possible drama for the right to face some of the elite teams as several teams are trying to squeeze into the final playoff spots. Here is a look at the remaining schedules for each team still in the hunt.

Outside looking in:

Milwaukee Bucks: Milwaukee was expected to be a playoff team this season after a great run last season, climbing to the #5 seed and taking Atlanta to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. Milwaukee has not looked much like a playoff team of late however even with wins in five of the last nine contests. Losing at home to Sacramento Wednesday night may prove to be a critical loss and the Bucks close the season with eight of the final eleven games on the road. The Bucks have to play the Knicks, Bulls, Pacers, 76ers, Magic, Heat, and Thunder in the remaining games so the chances for a late season climb into playoff position is unlikely as there has been little to fear with the deer this year.

Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats have lost 10 of the last 12 games and despite being a team that was in playoff position most of the season, the Bobcats appear content to stay at home this year. Well rested with a golden opportunity to pick up a full game against the current #8 seed Pacers on Wednesday, Charlotte laid a complete egg in a second half meltdown, eventually losing 111-88. Charlotte has seven of the final 12 games at home and only half of the remaining games are against playoff teams, but this team has not shown enough life to expect a run. Inversely, the Bobcats are likely a fade team the rest of the way as the recent results have been ugly in good situations.

Houston Rockets: If there is a team that is on the outside looking in that has a charge in it in the next few weeks, it could be the Rockets. Houston is 12-3 in the last 15 games and while the schedule has not been difficult, the Rockets have been taking care of business against lesser teams. Six of the final 10 games are against playoff teams, including a tricky East Coast trip starting this weekend, but five of the final seven games are at home where Houston is 22-14 on the season. A late season game at home against Dallas may actually work out just fine as it looks at this point like the Mavericks are fairly set in the #3 spot and that will likely be a game where the Mavericks rest key players.

Phoenix Suns: The epic multi-overtime loss to the Lakers this week may doom the Suns in their playoff chase. Phoenix is 21-13 since mid-January to recover from a very poor start to the season, but losing four in a row in mid-March including losses against Houston and New Orleans will cost this team. Phoenix is playing well right now with wins in three of the last four and the lone defeat in Los Angeles, but the Suns have a difficult remaining schedule as they try to catch the last few teams in the playoff picture. Eight of 12 remaining games come against playoff teams with a brutal five-game road trip still on the schedule for early April. The Suns play the Mavericks and Spurs twice each as well as a road game in Chicago, so a miracle playoff run is likely not in store.

Utah Jazz: At 36-36 and playing very poorly since Jerry Sloan resigned and Deron Williams was traded, the Jazz look toast. Utah is 5-14 in the last 19 games, but the schedule has been very tough with the majority of those games coming on the road. Utah has still won its last three home games and the closing schedule offers a small window of opportunity. Utah plays six of its final 10 games at home and although the competition is mainly quality teams, they will catch a few favorable situation set-ups. It is a long shot, but if the teams surrounding the border of the playoff picture struggle and Utah takes care of business at home it is not out of the question.

Inside holding on:

Indiana Pacers: While including the sinking Knicks on this list would be interesting, that type of fall is a virtual impossibility, not because the Knicks are bound to play better, but banking on the Bucks or Bobcats putting together a 9-1 run or something comparable seems a bit ridiculous. That leaves the Pacers in the #8 spot as the only team in danger of playing its way out of the playoffs. Indiana made a charge in February to get back in the picture but a six-game losing streak in early March seemed to be a big setback. The Pacers have rebounded with wins in five of the last seven, including three road victories to grab a hold of the final playoff spot, just as much in part due to the failures of the other teams in the picture. Indiana has a dream schedule to close the season which makes the job of the other Eastern Conference hopefuls much tougher. In the final 10 games, the Pacers have seven home games and only play five teams that would make the playoffs right now including only two elite contenders.

Portland Trailblazers: Despite an injury-plagued season, the Blazers are in playoff position following a 15-6 run in the last 21 games. Portland has been a bit inconsistent, but they hold a very tough home court and it will be tough to push the Blazers out of playoff position. However, the remaining schedule is very tough, so the Blazers may be a team that is vulnerable. Portland has 11 games remaining and only two games against Golden State feature teams with losing records. The Spurs and Thunder are both on the schedule twice, with games against the Lakers and Mavericks included as well. Games against New Orleans and Memphis will be critical in determining seeds at the bottom of the Western Conference.

New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets are the team that appears most likely to fall out of the playoffs with an 8-13 record in the last 21 games, but the Hornets endured a very tough late February and early March schedule filled with road games. New Orleans has won five of the last eight games and six of the final eight contests of the season will be at home. The Hornets play Utah, Phoenix, and Memphis twice each as well as home games with Houston and Portland, so the playoff destiny of the Hornets is certainly in their own hands. This is a tough remaining schedule as virtually every game will have playoff implications as the Hornets try to hang on to one of the final sports.

Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis has been playing very solid basketball in the last two months to climb back into the playoff picture where they hope to hang onto one of the final spots. Memphis has defeated several impressive teams in recent weeks with wins over the Spurs, Mavericks, Thunder, and Celtics in the month of March. The remaining schedule looks promising for the Grizzlies with six of the final 10 games at home, although there are certainly a few very tough challenges still waiting. Playing the Clippers twice as well as games against the Kings, Wolves, and Warriors should help Memphis do enough to hold on to a playoff spot.

There will be some meaningful basketball down the stretch, but the most likely scenario is that the current playoff teams hold their ground. It seems very unlikely that anyone catches the Pacers in the Eastern Conference and Houston catching either Portland or New Orleans seems to be the only plausible scenario in the Western Conference barring an out-of-nowhere run of great play from one of the other teams on the outside looking in.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:48 AM

West Region Final

March 25, 2011

Upsets weren’t the order of the day for much of the first few rounds of West Region with just one of the Top 4 seeds not making it to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California this week. That has all changed as we prepare to see the second ticket punched for Reliant Stadium in Houston get punched for either fifth-seeded Arizona (30-7 straight up, 19-15-1 against the spread) or the No. 3 seed Huskies. It all kicks off at 7:05 p.m. EDT on CBS.

The Wildcats have made the trip to the Elite Eight in Sean Miller’s second year after routing top-seeded Duke for a 93-77 win as 9 ½-point underdogs. Arizona cashed in at 4/1 on money line plays, while the combined 170 points soared well ‘over’ the closing total of 148.

Derrick Williams showed once again what all the hype was about by scoring a career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds. However, 25 of Williams’ 32 points came in the first half against the Blue Devils on Thursday night. Duke was completely outclassed for one stretch of the second half where they were outscored 19-2 in a span of just over four minutes. Lamont Jones also helped out with 16 points and six assists in the win. But what ‘Zona truly shined at was eliminating second chance scoring for the Blue Devils, allowing them to pull down just nine rebounds, while they grabbed 22 boards off of the defensive glass.

Arizona has been helping bettors for the last couple of weeks, going 4-1 SU and ATS in its last five games. The ‘under’ is 3-2 in that time as well. The Wildcats are aiming at making their first Final Four appearance since 2001, where they lost to the Blue Devils in the national championship game.

Standing in the Wildcats’ way for a trip to Houston is Connecticut (29-9 SU, 21-11 ATS), who has been on one of the most remarkable postseason journeys that I’ve ever seen. The Huskies are trying to give Jim Calhoun his fourth trip to the national semifinals and first since 2009, when they lost to Michigan State at Detroit’s Ford Field.

The Huskies ripped apart Bucknell in the second round of the big dance and made short work of Cincinnati to make the Sweet Sixteen. UConn sent the 2nd-seeded Aztecs packing with a 74-67 win on Thursday evening as a two-point pup in the O.C.

You’d probably think that I have a man crush on Kemba Walker when it comes to covering Connecticut, but he’s been just the most dominant player on the side. The junior guard led all players with 36 points, three boards and three assists. Meanwhile, Jeremy Lamb continues to show that his future is a bright one with 24 points and a pair of rebounds against San Diego State.

What’s surprising about the win over SDSU is that the Huskies lost the rebounding battle 32-30 in the game. This is a unit that ranked 32nd nationally with an average edge of 4.7 rebounds per game. Perhaps what is more of a concern for Calhoun and Company is that they only had five offensive boards as a team against Steve Fisher’s Aztecs. That simply cannot happen if they wish to cut down the nets at the Honda Center on Saturday night.

Despite an obvious concern for the war on the boards, the oddsmakers have not deterred from the seeding. Connecticut has been opened up on Friday morning as a 2 ½-point “chalk” with a total of 145. The Wildcats can be had for the outright win and a plus-120 (risk $100 to win $120) return on a gambler’s investment.

These two teams have met four times since 1999, and it’s not been a one-sided series. Connecticut is 4-0 SU and ATS in those four meetings with the ‘over/under’ going 2-2. The Huskies won three of those games outright as underdogs. Two of the matches were decided by two points.

While the head-to-head history is siding with the Huskies, past West Region finals shade the other way. Underdogs have posted a 6-5 SU and 7-3-1 ATS mark in the last 11 West Region finals, with the ‘over’ going 7-4 in that stretch. That total play makes sense for this game as the ‘over’ has hit in the last two battles between ‘Zona and UConn.

Connecticut has been a single-digit favorite 14 times this season. In those instances, they are 9-5 SU and just 7-7 ATS. The ‘under’ holds a slight 7-6-1 edge in those contests.

Arizona has gone 4-6 SU and 6-4 ATS in its 10 games as an underdog during the 2010-11 campaign. The ‘under’ is 6-3 in the nine games that had a total attached in that situation.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:49 AM

Florida vs. Butler

March 25, 2011

NEW ORLEANS -- For the third time during Billy Donovan’s tenure at Florida, the Gators will face Butler in the NCAA Tournament. This time around, these schools will square off Saturday in the Southeast Region finals at the New Orleans Arena for the right to go to next weekend’s Final Four at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Most betting shops have installed Florida (29-7 straight up, 17-14-1 against the spread) as a four-point favorite with a total of 132. Gamblers can take the Bulldogs to win outright for a plus-140 return (risk $100 to win $140).

UF has covered the number in all three of its NCAA Tournament games against UC-Santa Barbara, UCLA and BYU. Alex Tyus and Kenny Boynton were the key cogs in Thursday’s 82-73 win over the Cougars in overtime.

Tyus might have played the best game of his four-year career at the most opportune time. The senior power forward from St. Louis scored 19 points and dominated the glass with 17 rebounds. Tyus made 8-of-9 shots and his presence in the lane made Jimmer Fredette hesitant to come inside, resulting in the All-American shooting 15 shots from 3-point range.

Boynton showed no signs of a bad ankle that he sprained in last week’s 73-65 win over UCLA. He was up in Fredette’s mug for 40-plus minutes, forcing the Player of the Year candidate to miss 12 of his 15 attempts from 3-point range. Although Fredette scored 32 points, he didn’t get his first basket until the 6:17 mark of the first half.

Most importantly, Boynton locked down Fredette at crunch time. Fredette made the last bucket of his collegiate career with 2:53 left in regulation. In the extra session, Boynton forced two of Fredette’s six turnovers and contested both of his 3-point attempts that were way off the mark.

“[Boynton] was just contesting shots, he’s athletic, a good defender,” Fredette said. “They were really hedging hard on those ball screens, they were doubling or switching, or whatever it was. So they did a good job. I just didn’t make quite enough shots. I didn’t shoot the ball great, but credit their defense.”

But Boynton’s performance wasn’t limited to the defensive end alone. He buried a huge 3-pointer in OT to give UF some separation and a 75-70 advantage. Boynton finished with 17 points and five assists.

Erving Walker scored 16 points and dished out five assists, but his most important contribution was on the boards. That’s right, the five-foot, eight-inch Walker had six rebounds, including the most important board of the game.

With the game tied at around the 25-second mark at the end of regulation, Boynton missed a 3 from the corner but Walker gathered the offensive rebound. This allowed UF to take the final shot and prevented Fredette from being able to get a look at a potential game-winning shot.

Butler (26-9 SU, 18-13-2 ATS) advanced to the Elite Eight for a second straight year by beating Old Dominion, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin. On Thursday night in The Big Easy, Brad Stevens’ squad took control of the game early and never looked back in a 61-54 win over the Badgers that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

Butler won its 12th consecutive game as a 4 ½-point underdog, hooking up money-line backers with a plus-170 payout (risk $100 to win $170). Matt Howard, who is a serious candidate to win NCAA Tournament MVP honors at this point, scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in another spectacular effort.

Shelvin Mack added 13 points, while Shawn Vanzant scored 10 points, dished out four assists and had a pair of steals. More than anything, it was all about defense for Butler, which forced Wisconsin’s Jon Leuerinto a miserable 1-of-12 shooting performance.

The combination of Vanzant, Ronald Nored and Mack forced Wisconsin star Jordan Taylor into four turnovers and a 6-of-19 shooting night. Taylor didn’t commit a single turnover in last week’s win over Kansas St.

Butler will be an underdog for the 10th time this year when it takes on Florida. In the nine previous situations, the Bulldogs have compiled a 7-1-1 spread record.

Florida is on an 8-1-1 ATS surge in its last 10 games. As a single-digit favorite this season, the Gators are 8-7 ATS but they are 7-2 versus the number in their nine such spots.

When these teams met in the 2000 NCAA Tournament, Butler was on the verge of pulling a 5/12 upset in overtime of a first-round meeting. However, the Bulldogs missed a pair of free throws while leading by one with 8.1 seconds remaining. The rest is an unforgettable part of NCAA Tourney lore.

Udonis Haslem rebounded the second missed FT and passed the ball to Teddy ‘Ballgames’ Dupay, who dribbled up the court before finding Mike Miller on the left wing with about three ticks left. Miller promptly drove to the hole and released a runner in the lane just before the buzzer. The shot got all net and allowed UF to ‘survive and advance’ en route to the school’s first-ever trip to the national-title game, where it lost to Michigan St.

Then in 2007 as the Gators were looking to repeat as national champs, they faced Butler in a Sweet 16 showdown. It would be the toughest test UF would face in the event. The game was tied at the two-minute mark, but Donovan’s squad would score the last eight points to pull away for a 65-57 victory. Nevertheless, Butler took the cash as a 9 ½-point underdog.

Back to this year, as the ‘over’ is on a 10-1 run in Florida’s last 11 games to improve to 20-11 overall for the season. Meanwhile, Butler has watched the ‘over’ hit at an 18-14-1 overall clip.

Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Did you know that Butler’s Shelvin Mack was one of the best prep players in the state of Kentucky coming out of high school but wasn’t recruited by Kentucky or Louisville?

--Butler sophomore center Andrew Smith has played extremely well in this tournament, so he provided a huge scare when he turned his ankle and was on the floor writhing in pain for several minutes during the second half of Thursday’s win over Wisconsin. But Smith was able to return to the game and he’ll be good to go against UF.

--Wisconsin point guard Jordan Taylor had a helluva season and was one of the country’s most consistent PGs all year long. However, his season ended with a pair of atrocious shooting performances. Taylor was 2-of-16 from the field in last Saturday night’s come-from-behind win over Kansas St., and he was just 6-of-19 in Thursday’s loss to Butler.

--BYU still hasn’t reached the Elite Eight since Danny Ainge led the Cougars to a region-finals appearance in 1981.

--Although BYU had the farthest distance to travel to New Orleans, its fans showed up in force. In fact, the New Orleans Arena appeared to have twice as many BYU fans as supporters from UF, Wisconsin and Butler.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 10:50 AM

Elite 8 Angles and Trends

March 26, 2011

There is nothing sweeter this time of the year than being alive in the NCAA Tournament. For those teams that survived the opening two rounds of this main event it's on to the Sweet 16 and, hopefully, the Eilte 8 this weekend.

From out powerful database, here are notes of the teams that have arrived. Stay tuned…

(SU - Straight Up, ATS - Against the Spread)

SWEET 16 ROUND NOTES:

#1 Seed favs < 11 pts off back-to-back SU and ATS wins are 18-5 ATS
#2 Seeds are 12-5 ATS vs. opponents off a SU dog win
#3 Seed favs off BB SU and ATS wins are 2-10 ATS
#4 Seed dogs are 2-9 ATS vs. foes off BB SU and ATS wins
#5 Seeds are 5-0-1 ATS as DD dogs
#6 Seeds off a DD ATS win are 1-8 ATS
#7 Seed or worse dogs 2 > pts are 2-10 ATS
Favorites of 9 > pts are 16-6-1 ATS vs. opp off BB SU and ATS wins
Favorites off BB SU wins of 15 > pts are 12-3 ATS
Underdogs of 11 > pts are 7-2 ATS
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Best Team ATS record in this round

North Carolina: 5-1

Worst Team ATS record in this round

Kansas: 3-8

Best Conference ATS records in this round

Atlantic 10: 6-0-1
Big 12: 5-1-1
SEC: 9-3 as dogs
Big 10: 16-7

Worst Conference ATS records in this round

ACC: 0-4 as favs < 8 pts
Big East: 1-8 as favs < 7 pts
Pac 10: 1-8 as dogs 2 > pts

ELITE 8 ROUND NOTES:

#1 Seed favs > 7 pts are 0-7 ATS vs foe off BB ATS wins
#2 Seeds are 2-9-1 ATS off a double-digit ATS win
#3 Seeds are 1-5 ATS
#4 Seeds are 7-1 ATS
#5 Seeds are 6-0 SU and ATS
#6 Seeds are 0-7 SU
#8 Seeds are 3-1 ATS
Teams that score 67 < pts are 11-37 SU and 11-36-1 ATS
Teams that score 85 > pts are 27-7 SU and 24-8-2 ATS
Teams off BB ATS losses are 6-2 ATS
Teams with Revenge are 13-4-1 ATS
Dogs off 3 straight DD wins are 1-4-1 ATS
Best Conference ATS record in this round

Big East: 6-1-1 as dog

Worst Conference ATS record in this round

Big 12: 0-9

COACH ME IF YOU CAN:

Florida's Billy Donovan is 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS in the NCAA tournament from the Sweet 16 out.

I'll be back next week with a final look at Final Four and Championship game action. Enjoy the games.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 11:05 AM

UConn favored by 2 over Arizona in West Final

#5 seed ARIZONA WILDCATS (30-7)

vs. #3 seed CONNECTICUT HUSKIES (29-9)

NCAA Tournament – West Regional Finals (Elite Eight)
Tip-off: Saturday, 7:05 p.m. EDT – Anaheim, CA
Line: Connecticut -2, Total: 147

It takes many elements to carry a team to this stage of the season, when the last eight teams in the NCAA Tournament are all that are left standing, with each squad just 40 minutes away from that milestone goal in a coach’s career, reaching the Final Four. The elements most prevalent in each team’s DNA this time of year are usually two: explosiveness, and clutch. Saturday in Anaheim, Arizona and Connecticut will take the floor, shooting for its fifth and fourth Final Four appearances respectively, and if either team is to accomplish that goal, it will do so displaying levels of explosiveness and clutch play that were great enough to outclass their Sweet 16 opponents, and in Arizona's case, stun the opponent.

The Wildcats are in their first regional final since 2005, after hitting the Duke Blue Devils with a second-half blitzkrieg so massive it made a ton of bricks feel like a Q-tip. Derrick Williams carried his team, scoring 25 of his game-high 32 points in the first half when the rest of the ‘Cats offense sputtered. Arizona tuned things up at halftime, replacing that sputter with super-high octane, outscoring the defending national champions 55-33 in the final 20 minutes, emphatically ending the Blue Devils season, 93-77. "As a team, we came together and willed ourselves to win," said Lamont “MoMo” Jones, who added 16 points. "Derrick is a great player, but we all contribute." The 93 points were the most allowed by Duke in a tournament game since 1997, when Providence defeated them 98-87 in the second round. It was a stunning defensive collapse for a Duke squad that had allowed opponents to shoot just 40.1% from the floor (29th best in Division I). The Blue Devils were victimized by a Wildcats team that made 54% of its shots, which included 9-of-15 (60%) from beyond the arc. A 19-2 spurt early in the second half when they were down six, turned the game around. When the spurt was over, the six-point deficit was a 66-55 Arizona lead. In addition to the offensive dominance, Arizona also outworked its opponents on the glass, outrebounding the defending champs 40-27 for the game. The ‘Cats win means that Mike Krzyzewski’s team will have to carry the agony of defeat with them throughout the summer, and the coach will have to wait till next fall to get the three wins he needs to break Bob Knight’s Division I record for most wins by a men’s coach. "The tournament is cruel," Krzyzewski said. "It's an abrupt end for everybody when you don't win." Williams finished with 32 points and 13 boards, becoming the first player to tally at least 30 points and 10 boards against a No. 1 seed since Carmelo Anthony did it against Texas in the 2003 Final Four. Now Arizona will take on a Connecticut team that has had the look of a No. 1 seed for two straight weeks, destroying everything and everyone in its path.

The Huskies advanced to the regional final with a 74-67 victory over San Diego State, in a game in which their star guard, Kemba Walker, carried his team in much the same way that Williams carried the ‘Cats. Walker scored 36 points, with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. "I'm just trying to do the best I can do," said Walker, who scored 12 straight points for UConn in the final minutes. "Whether it's scoring, talking, getting their confidence up or giving an assist, I'm just trying to do whatever is possible to enhance this team." While Arizona’s Williams received a huge assist from an assortment of players offensively, Walker only needed help from freshman Jeremy Lamb to bring things home down the stretch. Between Walker’s 36 and Lamb’s 24, the twosome combined for 60 of Connecticut’s 74 total points. While Walker came with the most game on Thursday night, it was Lamb who hit the biggest shot of the game. With his team clinging to a one-point lead, Lamb took a pass from Alex Oriakhi off a second-shot opportunity, and buried a clutch three-pointer with 1:43 to play to give the Huskies a four-point lead. After Walker, the performance of all of the Connecticut freshmen has been the catalyst that has fueled the late-season surge to this memorable campaign, positioning the team for its second Final Four appearance in three years. "I've never been in an environment like this," said Lamb, perfect on three 3-pointers. "Kemba hit some big shots, I hit some big shots, and we were able to pull it out. They had a lot of fans. I've never played in a game like it."

Connecticut is 3-5 in regional finals under Jim Calhoun. In three of those five defeats the Huskies losses came to a UCLA team that was playing in California, a North Carolina team that was playing Greensboro, and a George Mason team that was playing in Washington, DC, 45 minutes from its campus. Saturday the Huskies will try and outplay the Pac-10 regular-season champions in the heart of Pac-10 country, a task that will be taller and tougher than it appears, pitting the Wildcats explosiveness against the Huskies clutch performers.

These schools have met four times since 1999, with UConn winning all four meetings both SU and ATS. Both of these schools have been great bets this season in a number of categories. Arizona is 19-15 ATS (56%) overall and 6-3 ATS (67%) on a neutral court. The Wildcats are also 11-4 ATS (73%) after an ATS win, 10-4 ATS (71%) outside of their conference and 6-3 ATS (67%) as an underdog this season. In addition to being 11-0 SU and ATS on a neutral court (which is deemed a 6-star rating on the FoxSheets), the Huskies are 21-11 ATS (66%) overall, including 8-0 ATS in non-conference games and 17-6 ATS (74%) after an SU win. This game will likely go down to the wire, but Kemba Walker will once again be the difference and move his Connecticut team into the Final Four. Another reason to choose the Huskies to win is provided by this highly-rated FoxSheets trend.

CONNECTICUT is 11-2 ATS (84.6%, +8.8 Units) in road games versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game this season. The average score was CONNECTICUT 71.8, OPPONENT 69.2 - (Rating = 3*).

Expect this game to be relatively low-scoring with two underrated defenses contesting every shot. This FoxSheets trend supports choosing the Under on Sunday.

CONNECTICUT is 31-19 UNDER (62.0%, +10.1 Units) versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 4+ points/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was CONNECTICUT 70.1, OPPONENT 66.6 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 11:06 AM

Florida favored by 3 over Butler in Elite Eight

#8 seed BUTLER BULLDOGS (26-9)

#2 seed FLORIDA GATORS (29-7)

NCAA Tournament – Southeast Regional Finals (Elite Eight)
Tip-off: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EDT – New Orleans, LA
Line: Florida -3, Total: 131

And so we meet again.

In 2000 Butler was just another small school from a non-BCS conference trying to hang with the big boys for one game at a time. What happened to the team in the opening round of that tournament against Florida was symbolic of how much the NCAA Tournament both then, and especially now, is full of “what ifs?”. The Bulldogs had battled the Gators tooth and nail in that game, held a one-point lead in the closing seconds, and were poised to bust some brackets nationwide. But in the time that it took Teddy Dupay to race down court and hurriedly pass to Mike Miller in the lane for his driving jump shot that just beat the buzzer, Florida escaped the scare, and Butler was headed home. The Gators ended that season in the championship game, keeping hope alive with that Miller jumper that helped them avoid falling victim to the dreaded 5-vs.-12 upset that has become so fashionable in the Big Dance. While that was the beginning of Billy Donovan’s successes in Gainesville, little did we know at the time that Butler would not disappear quietly into the mid-major night.

Over a decade later, the Bulldogs have done what all teams jilted by the pain of an all-time buzzer-beater should do. By going forth and creating their own history, their own magic, Brad Stevens’ Butler team is much more than the little mid-major that could, it is the legitimate mid-major that has. A year after the most dramatic missed shot in NCAA Tournament history (Gordon Hayward’s half-court shot versus Duke in the 2010 title game), and a week after two of the most improbable, unconscionable endings you will ever see in back-to-back tournament games involving the same team, Butler is knocking on the door of a second straight trip to the Final Four, following its 61-54 triumph over Wisconsin, in a game that the Bulldogs led by 20. Matt Howard continued to defy logic, outplaying the bigger Badgers on the interior to the tune of 20 points and 12 boards. "A lot of people just ignored us and said, 'Aw, they'll probably lose in the first or second round,'" Butler center Andrew Smith said after the Bulldogs won their 12th straight game since Feb. 5. "Here we are again, trying to prove everybody wrong. We'll try to win three more." Shelvin Mack added 13 points, and Shawn Vanzant put in 10, as Butler took a 33-24 lead into halftime, and eventually built it to 47-27 on a Smith layup. Butler took down Wisconsin without its three-point shooting eye. In the first two games the Bulldogs totaled 19 three pointers. Thursday they only had five, but did not need the long ball as they held the Badgers to just 30% shooting from the floor. Top scorers Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer combined to shoot an abysmal 7-for-31 from the field as Leuer, the team’s leading scorer (18.3 PPG), finished his collegiate career going 1-for-12 with just three points. Now it’s time for the Bulldogs to exorcise a demon, by going back in time and defeating a team who was instrumental in making an early entry onto the Butler highlight reel, for the wrong reason.

Florida is no stranger to the adventures of the NCAA Tournament, and it reminded fans of its clutch ability Thursday night, getting by BYU and the nation’s leading scorer Jimmer Fredette, 83-74 in overtime. Fredette ended his collegiate career by scoring 32 points, but shot just 11-of-29 en route to that total. Florida was led by a monstrous effort by senior Alex Tyus, who put up 19 points and 17 rebounds. Kenny Boynton helped to chase Fredette into a poor shooting night, while scoring 17. Erving Walker and Chandler Parsons added 16 apiece. Tied at 68 after regulation, the overtime was anti-climactic, as early baskets by Tyus and Boynton put the Gators up for good. Fredette, who shot 3-for-15 from downtown, could not gun his team back into the game. Now the long NCAA road has brought us to this familiar point. Two teams with a history against one another, a recent history of winning close games, impossible games, controversial games, clutch games. If Clubber Lang were asked for a prediction on this contest he’d look squarely into the camera and tell you: PAIN.

In my best Clubber Lang, I can guarantee that the one thing this game will deliver is the one thing every college basketball fan wants to see Saturday afternoon in New Orleans: Drama.

In addition to Florida’s win over Butler in the 2000 NCAA Tournament, the Gators also topped the Bulldogs in the 2007 Sweet 16, as one of the steps to their second straight National Championship. Both teams have some positive betting trends to play on. Butler is 18-13 ATS (58%) overall, 8-0 ATS on a neutral court, 7-1 ATS (88%) as an underdog and 10-2 ATS (83%) in non-conference games. Although Florida is a pedestrian 17-14 ATS (55%) overall, it is 12-3 ATS (80%) against schools with a winning record and 12-5 ATS (71%) in non-home games, including 6-2 ATS (75%) on a neutral court. This game comes down to matchups, and the Gators have the better players at virtually every position, and especially on the interior if Alex Tyus can continue his stellar play. The FoxSheets provide two more reasons to pick Florida to win and cover.

Billy Donovan is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games after a game where his team made 53% or worse of its free throws as the coach of FLORIDA. The average score was FLORIDA 74.5, OPPONENT 61.5 - (Rating = 3*).

Play Against - Neutral court teams as an underdog (BUTLER) - in a game involving two good defensive teams (63-67 PPG), after a combined score of 115 points or less.(57-28 since 1997.) (67.1%, +26.2 units. Rating = 2*).

Ten of the past 11 games for the Gators have finished Over the total and this highly-rated FoxSheets trend also predicts the Over will occur on Saturday.

FLORIDA is 18-6 OVER (75%, +11.4 Units) after having won 8 or more of their last 10 games this season. The average score was FLORIDA 73.4, OPPONENT 65.4 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 11:07 AM

Bulls go for season sweep of Bucks on Saturday

CHICAGO BULLS (52-19)

at MILWAUKEE BUCKS (29-42)

Tip-off: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
Line: Chicago -6, Total: 177.5

The Bulls travel to Milwaukee on Saturday to take on the Bucks. Chicago has won all three prior meetings this season, and will be looking for their first season sweep of the Bucks since 2006-07. While the Bulls are in a fight with the Celtics for the No. 1 overall seed in the East, leading them by two games, the Bucks are trying to gain ground on the Pacers who they trail by two games for the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Bulls are one of the best ATS teams in the league this season, posting a record of 44-26. Chicago has not only dominated opponents SU over its past 21 games, going 18-3, but it is also 16-5 ATS over that span. This is the second game in consecutive nights for the Bulls, who are 14-5 SU and 10-8 ATS in those games this season. The Bulls have done an excellent job against the Bucks defensively this season, holding them to just 78.3 PPG and 38.6 percent shooting from the field. Chicago has struggled a bit offensively in this series, averaging 88.3 PPG and shooting just 31.4 percent from behind the arc. Derrick Rose has not had his best days against Milwaukee this season, averaging 18.7 PPG while shooting just 36.5 percent from the field.

Milwaukee is 35-35 ATS this season and has won eight of its past 11 ATS overall. The Bucks have had a lot of success ATS against the Eastern Conference this season, going 26-15 (63%), but are just 3-8 ATS against the Central Division. Leading scorer Brandon Jennings has missed two of the three games against Chicago this season, but scored just four points on 2-of-6 shooting in the game he did play in. Carlos Delfino, who scored 30 points in consecutive games earlier this week, has averaged just 6.0 PPG on 4-of-18 shooting in the two games he has played against the Bulls this season. Milwaukee will also be playing its second game in consecutive nights. The Bucks are just 7-12 SU, but are 12-7 ATS in those games with no rest this season.

Chicago is 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings with the Bucks and 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings in Milwaukee. The Bulls have been on a mission the last month to earn the number one spot in the East, and I like them to continue that quest on Saturday. I’m taking Chicago to win and cover.

The FoxSheets show two trends supporting the Bulls:

CHICAGO is 25-9 ATS (73.5%, +15.1 Units) after playing a home game this season.The average score was CHICAGO 100.4, OPPONENT 88.3 - (Rating = 3*).

Play Against - Home teams (MILWAUKEE) - revenging 2 straight losses where team scored < 85 points, with a losing record. (50-22 over the last 5 seasons.) (69.4%, +25.8 units. Rating = 2*).

The Bucks are 27-10 Under (73%) in home games this seasons, and this highly-rated FoxSheets trend on the Bulls also likes the Under for Saturday’s game.

CHICAGO is 11-1 UNDER (+9.9 Units) after a win by 6 points or less this season. The average score was CHICAGO 95.7, OPPONENT 85.6 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 11:08 AM

Several schools wanted Arizona's Williams

Arizona wasn't the only school to chase Derrick Williams after the power forward backed out of a commitment to Southern California two years ago in the wake of former coach Tim Floyd's NCAA scandal.

UConn made a pitch to Williams when he decided not to stick with the Trojans. Williams was intrigued by the Huskies and Memphis, but he chose Arizona to stay a bit closer to home.

``He was long, and he had skills, so he really wasn't a hard evaluation,'' Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. ``He was hard to get. He didn't end up in (our) uniform, but we're happy about the career he's had.''

UConn star guard Kemba Walker played alongside Williams at a recent summer camp, but he isn't lamenting what might have been in the Huskies' frontcourt - not even after watching Williams destroy Duke in the regional semifinals.

``I got a chance to watch the first half, and he was unstoppable,'' Walker said. ``The first thing that came to my mind was that he might be the best player in the country, the best player I've seen this year.''

Williams went to Arizona along with fellow USC commits Solomon Hill and Lamont ``MoMo'' Jones, Walker's childhood friend from New York.

``I got a lot of offers, and I had a lot of people talking to me when I decommitted, but Arizona was always near the top of the list of schools I wanted to go to,'' Williams said. ``I can't imagine playing with (Walker), but MoMo is pretty good himself.''

---

READY TO COACH: Ronald Nored's singular focus these days is helping Butler to its second straight Final Four.

But when the season's over, he's putting down the basketball and picking up a clipboard.

Nored, a 6-foot junior guard, already has started practices in his second year of coaching Team Truth - an AAU team filled with high school juniors in Indianapolis. Games start the second week of April, so multitasking while getting ready for the season has been a challenge.

``We've already started practice,'' Nored said. ``It's going great. I have six guys back from my team last season and three new guys. We're rushing to put stuff in because we have our first game the second weekend in April, so we've got to hurry up and get things ready.''

Nored said it's sometimes hard to keep his players focused during practice. They all want to know what's happening with the Bulldogs.

``That's the first conversation at practice before we get started - I tell them about what's going on,'' Nored said. ``I told them last week that the first thing we're going to work on is not fouling at the end of games.''

Nored laughed after finishing the last sentence - an obvious playful jab at teammate Shelvin Mack, who fouled Pittsburgh's Gilbert Brown with 1.4 seconds remaining in the team's second-round game against Pittsburgh.

It nearly cost the Bulldogs the win, but Butler's Matt Howard was fouled with 0.8 seconds remaining and hit the game-winning free throw.

Nored said Butler coach Brad Stevens supports his coaching aspirations, and the two even talk strategy occasionally.

``I get to learn from the best everyday,'' Nored said.

Even so, Nored said he's not a Stevens clone.

``You've got to be yourself when you're coaching,'' Nored said. ``I'm not going to be coach Stevens out there. But the things I can take from him is his mindset through any situation. Whatever's going on - whether you're up or down a ton or somebody comes back on you. Just staying calm and just assuring your team that everything's OK if we continue to execute.''

So what makes Nored more nervous, playing or coaching?

Neither, he said.

``I'm usually prepared enough as a coach, that it's more like 'Let's go do this thing,''' Nored said.

---

BOOK'S READ: Arizona assistant Emanuel Richardson has been a coach, mentor and friend to Kemba Walker since UConn's star guard was 14.

Richardson, known to everyone as ``Book,'' coached Walker on a traveling team in New York, occasionally allowing the precocious guard to sleep on his couch before trips to tournaments.

``He allowed me to be family to him,'' Richardson said. ``His mom was great in that she allowed me to be around him. I think she realized I didn't want anything from him except for him to be great. I would always challenge him, how great do you want to be? That's a state of mind.''

Richardson joined coach Sean Miller's staff at Xavier before following him out west to Tucson. Richardson's strong ties to New York have resulted in several recruiting coups for Miller's teams, but Walker is eager to show one of his father figures what he's learned.

``Book taught me a lot of things,'' Walker said. ``He's a big part of who I am as a player.''

Richardson still imparts advice to Walker when they speak or meet - including a bit that could come back to bite the Wildcats on Saturday.

``I told him you're always going to be judged by your wins and your losses,'' Richardson said. ``As the point guard, every win is yours and every loss is yours. So I would always tell Kemba, lead that team, lead that team. Why not you?''

---

REMEMBER THE ALAMODOME?: The Alamodome has hosted numerous NCAA tournaments over the years, including Kansas' last championship in 2008 and the women's Final Four last year.

But its days as a favored site appear to be waning. This season's Southwest regional is the last NCAA tournament site scheduled at the Alamodome in the current cycle.

The opening of Reliant Stadium in Houston and Cowboys Stadium in Arlington have given the 18-year-old Alamodome stiff competition in Texas. Reliant is the home of this year's Final Four.

Lynn Hickey, tournament director and Texas-San Antonio athletic director, said officials are exploring ways to reconfigure the Alamodome to keep luring in the bigger games.

``We have to get creative,'' Hickey said.

---

FRUGAL HOWARD: Butler senior forward Matt Howard was one of 10 children growing up with his family in Connersville, Ind., so he knows the value of stretching a dollar.

The 6-foot-8 forward is the target of jokes from teammates for some of his frugal tendencies. He hasn't shopped for clothing since last summer when he was trying to get an internship and he rides an old bicycle with broken handlebars that he had to bend back into place.

Only recently has he decided to splurge on a purchase - and that was dinner with his girlfriend.

``It was over $60,'' Howard said. ``That wasn't easy but I think she deserved it.''

---

SHORT STUFF: Billy Donovan admits he had some second-thoughts about recruiting Erving Walker.

Florida's diminutive point guard stands only 5-foot-8 and when Donovan first saw him play at a camp, he was just 5-foot-4.

``I was like, you've got to be kidding me,'' Donovan said.

But Donovan's glad he decided to offer Walker a scholarship. He's averaging a team-leading 14.8 points and leads the team with 40 steals.

``It's not the physical attributes,'' Donovan said. ``It's the internal things - his mind, his understanding, his competitiveness. He's had to overcome to be a good player.''

---

DRIVE-BY COACHING: Arizona coach Sean Miller has an unusual early memory of UConn coach Jim Calhoun's toughness.

Miller said Calhoun was hit by a car while out jogging before the Huskies faced Pitt during Miller's playing career with the Panthers. Miller remembers showing up to the arena before the game and hearing about the accident - and then seeing Calhoun in the arena with a bandage on his face, coaching the game anyway.

``He's such a warrior, and his team is filled with warriors like him,'' Miller said.

---

**StarDust Bum** · 03-26-2011, 11:09 AM

Butler's Brad Stevens continues coaching emergence

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - With his Butler Bulldogs mired in a funk earlier this season, 34-year-old Brad Stevens picked up his phone and called Florida's Billy Donovan.

If the nation's top young coach needed advice, it makes sense he'd seek it from another coach who not long ago carried the same label.

``He just shared insights, shared thoughts,'' Stevens said. ``You're just two coaches on the phone talking for 30 or 45 minutes just sharing stories and sharing ideas.

``You're just looking for anything at that moment in time to flip a switch.''

From Donovan's perspective, that advice might have been a little too good.

Now on a 12-game winning streak dating to Feb. 5, eighth-seeded Butler (26-9) will face second-seeded Florida (29-7) on Saturday in the NCAA Southeast Regional final.

On Friday, Stevens and Donovan both spoke of the respect they've developed for each other's programs since meeting for the first time in 2007 at a Florida coaching clinic.

Stevens said he called Donovan because the coach had a unique perspective of coming off a Final Four season and dealing with heightened expectations.

The 45-year-old Donovan has a more accomplished resume with three Final Four appearances, two national championships and more than a decade of sustained success at a program that wasn't considered a national powerhouse before his arrival in 1996.

But Stevens is gaining ground quickly. He led the Bulldogs to a shocking NCAA tournament run last season, advancing to the national championship game before a narrow loss to Duke. Now Butler is just one victory away from a second consecutive Final Four - an accomplishment unheard of for a so-called mid-major program.

To Donovan, Stevens isn't a great young coach. He's simply a great coach - period.

``I think a lot of times people can label somebody based on their age, and I don't think that's fair to Brad,'' Donovan said.

For Donovan and Stevens, the similarity in style is striking. They're usually calm on the sideline, with an understated approach that players say helps in tense situations. Both were guards in college, and are known for recruiting smart players who play well together and don't have huge egos.

``Sometimes we'll be in the huddle during a tight game and look up at coach Stevens and he's just so calm,'' senior Zach Hahn said. ``You wonder 'How's he doing that?' But it definitely has an effect on everyone else. We don't get rattled easily.''

Most importantly, both coaches are winners.

``I personally believe he's one of the best coaches in America,'' Butler junior Shelvin Mack said. ``He continues to do great things year in and year out. Just because you're young doesn't mean that me and my teammates don't respect him.''

Butler sophomore Chase Stigall said Stevens is a master of motivation, with an ability to mold his style to fit different players. When the Bulldogs were on a three-game losing streak in February - something unheard of for many of the players on the current roster - Stigall said Stevens didn't panic or do anything desperate.

He just did what he does best, communicate.

``He has a different way with every player,'' Stigall said. ``When he's tuning into a certain player, he has a different way of treating each guy. He knows that my high school coach was a yeller, and he knows that I can be yelled at and that's how I respond the best. Other people can't respond to that - and he knows it.''

Now Stevens will lead the his team against a program that has caused the Bulldogs plenty of heartache over the years. Butler lost to Florida in overtime in 2000 when Mike Miller hit a shot at the buzzer and again in 2007 in the round of 16.

Butler players said former players from both the 2000 and '07 teams have sent encouraging text messages over the past 24 hours, hoping the current group can finally get past the Gators.

But Stevens has kept the mood light, mixing practices with jokes and the occasional shooting contest with one of his players. Mack said he got the best of Stevens in their most recent contest - and the point guard joked that the coach needed to step up his game.

It's those moments that Stevens said are why he got into coaching.

``You know, this might sound strange,'' Stevens said. ``I love to win, I love to compete and I love to prepare. But I like being around these guys more than all of that.''

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