Butler Bulldogs at Duke Blue Devils
Saturday, 12/4/10, 3:15 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Duke -15
Current Betting Line: Duke -14.5
Opening Total: 142
Current Total: 143.5
Butler will square off with Duke for the second time in seventh months at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “It used to be when you told people you played for Butler and they weren’t from Indiana, you had to explain where that was,” said Matt Howard. “Now, they all say, ‘You have a chance to win the national championship here.’ A lot of what happened last season has really helped our program.” The Bulldogs fell in last year’s national championship game, 61-59, against today’s opponent. Butler is 0-2 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams. The team is 2-3 ATS this season and 37-37 ATS the last three years. The college basketball lines page has them listed as a double-digit underdog.
The Bulldogs are one of just three NCAA Division I schools to win at least 25 games in each of the last four seasons. The other two are BYU and Kansas, but the program has suffered some early losses to start the season. “We’re close to where we want to be,” said coach Brad Stevens. “What we’re trying to do is maybe play a few more home games that we don’t have to return.” Butler’s 71-68 overtime loss to Evansville on November 27 snapped a 17-game winning streak for the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. It was their first loss at home to the Purple Aces since 1994.
Duke enters the contest with a perfect 7-0 record and are looking to open the season 8-0 for the 16th time under Coach K. “We’re not looking to be good,” said freshman guard Kyrie Irving. “We’re looking to be great.” The Blue Devils are 9-1 all-time against teams currently in the Horizon League and they have a +18.3 scoring margin in those contests. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski is also a dominating 18-1 all-time at the Meadowlands and the program has won 11 consecutive games at the venue. Duke is 10-0 in NCAA Tournament games and 8-1 in regular season games in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The squad is 13-9 ATS in neutral court games.
The Blue Devils have won 17 consecutive games dating back to a 79-72 loss at Maryland on March 3, 2010. Duke has also managed to win 25 of its last 26 games. Even more impressive, the team has won 34 straight games against teams outside of the traditional power conferences. Many thought the team may suffer an early season letdown after winning the national championship last year, but it has trailed for only three minutes this season. Don’t expect a slip up today, considering Duke has won 81 straight non-conference home games, the longest current streak in the NCAA.
Bettors will be interested in the Bulldogs 24-8 ATS mark as an underdog, while the Blue Devils are 4-0 ATS as a favorite of 13 or more points.
The hard court action is heading up and so are the college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports!
