March Madness: Michigan State University and Duke University in The Final Four

The Final Four of March Madness pits the top Four Teams Against Each Other.

March Madness is just about over. There have been some surprises in the Men’s Basketball Division I Tournament this year. Many have already lost their bracket selections in their office pools. Well known in U.S. gambling news, we have gone from 64 teams to only 4 left. These teams are the winners of the Midwest, East, West and South Regions.

The Spartans try to be the 2nd team winning team as underdogs.
Duke’s Jahlil Okafor is one 3 NBA prospects on the team.
Spartan’s Branden Dawson will be needed this weekend.

The top teams of course normally play the weaker teams in the earlier rounds. Now these teams have proven themselves and are all capable of winning. The Final Four consists on two games and four teams. The Final Four is set to happen on April 4th in Indianapolis, Indiana Michigan State University will face Duke University in the first game of the Final Four starting at 18:09.

The Michigan State University Spartans

Michigan State University should not be overlooked. The 7th seeded Michigan State Spartans had a regular season record of 23-11 with the 14th most efficient offense in the country. The Spartan are on a mission to become second 7th seed team to win a National Championship. With a record of 13 wins and 9 losses as the lower seed in tournament games, the Spartans have a better than average chance.

Michigan State was able to overcome Louisville in their last match. The Louisville Cardinals had Michigan State down by 8 points at the half. The Spartans were able to make up for that difference and beat Louisville 76-70 in overtime. This allowed them to cover their spread as 2-point favorites according US gambling laws. But this time, the Spartans will be the underdog.

The Spartans beat University of Oklahoma and Louisville University to get to this level.
The Blue Devils have consistently been the favorites. Michigan State won their last 8 games starting before the tournament. This is their 7th final four appearance. Although this isn’t the team of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, we may see a surprise this Easter weekend.

Despite Michigan State’s Skills, they will need a big hand from Branden Dawson. The man may be a hero to his team and University, but to many he can be unpredictable. On Sunday he had 11 rebounds. Dawson was able to show his experience as he threw crucial passes to Terry Rozier for points. He handled the ball with authority against a marauding Louisville defense. Not to mention he scored 18 against Duke in a game earlier this year.

The Duke University Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils are always a threat every year. They have no equal when it comes to consistency. This year their regular season record of 29-4 pales in comparison to their “elite three.” Three freshmen, who are already NBA contenders and three others who are impressive, make Duke a “deep” team. Duke is normally a safe bet even in higher rounds according to.

Duke’s 66-52 victory over Gonzaga last Sunday was impressive. Although the bench didn’t score any points, the starters were impressive. The scoring leader was Justice Winslow who had 16 points. Tyus Jones contributed 15 points and 6 assists. The “x-factor” of the game was Matt Jones who put up 16 points since his last three games only produced 11 points.

The Ganzaga University game was a lot more defensive for the Blue Devils. Gonzaga, which was known to have a strong defense, held Duke to only 37.5% shooting. Also, Duke superstar Jahlil Okafor only had 9 points. Luckily Duke only turned the ball over 3 times which helped them perform the best with the opportunities they were given. If your online sports betting, Duke may be the safe choice.

Duke University is still the team to beat. Perhaps still the safest bet for punters apart from University of Kentucky who are undefeated. The 6 foot 11, 270 pound Jahlil Okafor is a national player of the year candidate and a top National Basketball Association (NBA) prospect. Can Michigan State contain him, while not giving the rest of Duke’s talent a chance to take over?