Not everybody rooting against Duke in NCAA title game
It's easy to pull for Butler and its unassuming star, Gordon Hayward. And for many, it's easier to dislike Duke for its arrogance and elite pedigree.
But not everyone loves an underdog.
More specifically, it appears no one wants to bet on this underdog.
Hayward and the Bulldogs make a great story, an NCAA Tournament long-shot tale that even the most cynical columnists from across the country are eating up faster than free hot dogs in the press room.
Still, there's no place for sentimentality at the wagering windows.
The Blue Devils might be seen as the Evil Empire of college basketball, but today they are America's favorite team to bet.
Duke is a 7-point favorite over Butler in today's NCAA championship game in Indianapolis. The Blue Devils are about minus-350 on the money line to win straight up. All of the money is not on one side, but almost all of it is on Duke.
Mike Colbert, the sports book director at M Resort, was asked if anyone is betting on the Bulldogs.
"No," Colbert said. "Not yet."
I stopped by the Gold Coast sports book Sunday morning and inquired to a ticket writer about the action he was seeing on the game.
"I'm not sure I've hit 601 yet," he said.
The betting number for Butler is 601. He said he had punched in 602, the betting number for Duke, about 15 to 20 times.
Suffice to say, the Las Vegas sports books will need the underdog today. When the wagering is a one-sided onslaught, the books seem to win more than their share.
So the Bulldogs have that going for them, which is nice.
Colbert opened Duke as a 6-point favorite, and he has been slowly pushing that number north.
"In my opinion, it's a little inflated," he said. "Everybody is very hot on Duke. I don't expect anyone to bet Butler. But I've got to assume the wiseguys will take 7½. I think to get a bet on the 'dog we'll have to be at 7½, and maybe 8 by game time.
"I'm not sure if they can win it, but I do think Butler will cover. The line is a little too high. Butler won't get blown out."
The Blue Devils were far more impressive Saturday as they destroyed West Virginia, 78-57. Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith combined to score 63 points and hit 12 of 23 3-pointers. Duke center Brian Zoubek grabbed 10 rebounds and sported a mean beard.
In the Final Four opener, the baby-faced Bulldogs had to grind out a 52-50 victory over Michigan State that was mostly unimpressive.
After those results, the public's reaction to ride the coattails of Mike Krzyzewski's crew was a foregone conclusion.
"We sense a bit of public overreaction to Duke's semifinal romp over West Virginia, a game that was closer than the final score, as well as a downgrade of Butler for its unsightly win over Michigan State," The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall said.
"The Bulldogs have not advanced this far on a fluke. When a team plays defense like Butler, it always has a chance."
The underdog is a contrarian bet in this case. But Marshall (goldsheet.com) said there are solid reasons to back the Bulldogs, who might be capable of exploiting matchup advantages because of their smaller, quicker lineup surrounding the 6-foot-9-inch Hayward.
"Duke owns a definite size advantage providing a different, more physical look than most of Coach K's previous championship teams and contenders," Marshall said. "But the matchups might not be as bad for Butler as they seem at first glance."
Marshall said the Bulldogs' "tenacious on-ball defenders" -- Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored, and Willie Veasley -- can cover and disrupt the Blue Devils' perimeter shooters.
On the boards, Butler will need Hayward and center Matt Howard to hold their ground.
Howard can hack his way into foul trouble in pregame warm-ups, but he has a bigger problem. Howard is a game-time decision because of a mild concussion from Saturday. He is expected to play.
"Hayward might be the best NBA prospect on the court," Marshall said. "Hayward and Howard might be Duke's biggest possible nightmare."
There is an argument to be made for the underdog. But if you're not buying it, follow the crowd and dance with the Blue Devils.
Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.
