On Saturday night, the Virginia Cavaliers take on the Butler Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Bulldogs are a #9 seed in the tournament and knocked off eight-seed Texas Tech by 10 in the first round. The Cavaliers are a #1 seed and dismantled 16-seed Hampton in the first round, 81-45. Don’t forget to check out for March Madness betting lines by clicking here.
Virginia vs Butler March Madness Lines Prediction
What: Butler Bulldogs (22-10) at Virginia Cavaliers (27-7)
When: Saturday, March 19
Start: 7:10 PM ET
Where: Raleigh, North Carolina
Stadium: PNC Arena
Spread: Virginia -7.5
Moneyline: Virginia -313
Game Total: 132
Watch: TBS
Stream: TBS SportsRadio: Butler at Virginia
Why Should You Bet on the Cavaliers?
Even though Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett fainted on the sidelines, Virginia finished the job, shooting 55.2 percent from the floor. Anthony Gill dropped 19 points on the Pirates, going 8 for 13 from the floor. The Virginia defense is one of the nation’s best, and Hampton simply could not compete to get the points that they needed. The Cavaliers rank #2 in the nation in points permitted (59.7), and while Hampton knocked down eight three-pointers, that was mostly because so much of the game was out of hand.
Why Should You Put Your Money on Butler?
The Cavaliers are a deliberate team, doing a lot of their scoring in the halfcourt rather than relying on the transition game or “small ball” to get their point totals up. The Bulldogs knocked off a similarly minded Red Raiders team in the first round. Kellen Dunham led the way for Butler, scoring 23 points (including five three-pointers). Tyler Wideman and Kelan Martin added 14 and 11 points respectively, with Martin nailing down some key threes late to add to the margin of victory. The Butler offense is #18 in the nation (80.6 points per game), and they do better on the boards than Virginia.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction
I think Virginia will win this game, but Butler will cover — that’s a big spread given Butler’s ability to make second chances out of offensive rebounds. I’m picking the Cavs to win 77-74.
