The Butler Bulldogs will take on Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh North Carolina Thursday. Butler finished the season strong, with a home win over over Seton Hall. The Bulldogs come in as winners of three of their last four overall, while the Red Raiders are coming off a loss to TCU in the BIG12 Tournament, and they've dropped three of their last four. My money is on the Bulldogs.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - These teams last met in 2007, and Butler won that game by a score of 81-71. The Red Raiders have a history of struggling against teams from the Big East, going 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight versus the Big East Conference.

2. Three-Point Shooting - The Bulldogs are one of the nation's better three-point shooting teams, hitting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc this season. They've been even hotter over their last five games, hitting 43 percent of their three-point attempts. The Red Raiders really struggled in a loss to TCU their last time out, going 5-for-18 from beyond the arc.

3. X-Factor - The Bulldogs are 35-15-1 ATS in their last 51 neutral site games.

Selection: This is a play on the Butler Bulldogs (10*)