1 UVA vs. 9 BUT
Time: 7:20 PM CT
Spread: UVA -8
Total: 130.5

Betting odds c/o 5dimes

The Virginia Cavaliers predictably smashed its No. 16 seeded opponent Hampton in the second round of the NCAA tournament, winning 81-45. The Cavs will move on to take on No. 9 seeded Butler, and though the Bulldogs are a much tougher team than Hampton, Virginia is still 8 point favorites according to college basketball oddsmakers at 5dimes.

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Virginia led 40-21 at the half against Hampton and cruised to an easy victory behind a 20-3 run it used in the second half to put Hampton on the rails. Virginia got 19 points from 6’8” senior forward Anthony Gill, who averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. He has shot 13 of 21 from the floor in the Cavaliers’ last two games, the Hampton win and the 61-57 loss to North Carolina on Mar. 12.

Look for Virginia to get its leading scorer Malcolm Brogdon more involved in this game of consequence. He averaged 18.5 points, four rebounds and three assists per game in 33 minutes a night for Virginia this year, and he is quite the shooter.

Brogdon hit 46.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 40 percent from three-point range where he attempted 5.3 per game this season. He did not fare well in the loss to North Carolina, hitting just 6 of 22 from the field but in the three games prior to that matchup he had knocked down 20 of 41 (49 percent) while scoring 22 points per game over that span. He is sure to be aggressive in this matchup because the Cavaliers need his offense in this tournament. The game against Hampton almost represented a chance to get other Cavs going, as Brogdon attempted just nine field goals in a game that was never close.

Virginia will also need 6’2” junior guard London Perrantes to step up in this game. He averaged 11 points, 4.4 assists and three rebounds per game for the Cavs this season and he had 12 points in the tourney opener. He struggled badly against UNC too, hitting just 3 of 14 in the game en route to only eight points, but he had shot the ball well prior to that, knocking down 11 of 23 from the floor against Miami, Georgia Tech and Louisville— all Virginia wins.

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Butler defeated Texas Tech 71-61 in its tourney opener, and the Bulldogs are no strangers to runs in March. 6’6” senior guard Kellen Dunham led the way with 23 points on 8 of 15 shooting while knocking down five threes in the game. Dunham averaged 16.5 points per game for Butler this season while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from three. He averaged 2.7 made threes per game, and he is also a knock down free throw shooter at 84.1 percent. His ball handling and clutch shooting will prove vital to Butler in this game.

No. 2 scorer Kelan Martin saved all 11 of his points for crunch time in the win over Texas Tech. He averaged 16 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks/steals in just 28 minutes a night. He has scored in double figures in Butler’s last 12 games and he scored in double figures in all but six games this season. In those six games, Butler fared just 4-2, so it will want to make sure Martin gets it going sooner than he did in the game against the Aggies.

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