East Region: South Alabama (10) vs. Butler (7)

The fans at BJCC Arena will get a battle between the talented South Alabama Jaguars and the somewhat plodding, but well-coached Butler Bulldogs when they take their seats on Friday. The East Region first-round game features the Horizon League champs against the Jaguars, who bring an upset mentality from their at-large Sun Belt bid.

NewBodog oddsmakers currently have the Bulldogs listed as 5-point favorites versus the Jaguars, while the game's total is sitting at 126.

Butler defeated Cleveland State 70-55 in the final of the Horizon League tournament on Tuesday. Butler covered the 9.5-point spread, while the 125 points, made it OVER the posted total of 120.

Mike Green scored 24 points and hauled down 13 rebounds for a double-double in the win.

Team records:
South Alabama: 26-6 SU, 18-9 ATS
Butler: 29-3 SU, 16-14-1 ATS

South Alabama most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
After playing Middle Tennessee are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

Butler most recently:
When playing on Friday are 6-2
After playing Cleveland State are 5-5
After a win are 9-1

A few trends to consider:
South Alabama is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
Butler is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games
Butler is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games

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