Duke (-7) vs. Butler Point Spread Picks

Butler (33-4, 17-20 ATS) has extended its incredible winning streak to 25 games. The most recent win came Saturday in the Final Four, a 52-50 squeaker over the Michigan State Spartans. Not only is Butler getting the job done during March Madness, it is making some money for sportsbook bettors too; the Bulldogs have covered three straight games against the spread, and they are 5-1 in their last six games for Butler bettors.

The Bulldogs overcame a brutal shooting night to beat Michigan State. They shot just 30 percent on the evening but came away with a two-point victory. An aggressive, turnover-crazy defense was the key. Butler won the turnover battle 16-8 but, more importantly, converted those takeaways into scoring opportunities; the Bulldogs outscored MSU 20-2 in points off turnovers. Offensively, Gordon Hayward was excellent with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Shelvin Mack added 14 points.

Duke (34-5, 23-14-1 ATS) was the lone No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four. The Blue Devils-17-1 in their past 18 games, including nine consecutive wins-have cruised through much of the tourney. Baylor certainly caused some fits in the Elite Eight but, besides that, Duke has made it look easy. The team handled West Virginia 78-57 on the weekend for its fifth straight win on NCAA basketball odds; Duke is 6-4 in its last 10 games against the spread.

The Blue Devils caught a bit of a break when West Virginia leading-scorer Da'Sean Butler went down with an injury, but they were firmly in control at that point. For the first time in a long while, Duke got superb play out of all three of its superstars in the same game. Jon Scheyer led the way with a game-high 23 points; he added six assists. Kyle Singler finished with 21 points and nine rebounds while Nolan Smith chipped in with 19 points and six assists.

Butler has gone over the total in five of its last seven games, including four straight. Duke has gone over the total in back-to-back outings, though it went under the total in the four games before that. SportsInteraction has the total set at 129.

Game Prediction

Take the UNDER 129