Xavier vs. Butler Pick
Can No. 18 Butler avoid a letdown tonight when it faces Xavier in the Big East Tournament at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Butler is favored in this game, as the Bulldogs are getting odds of -5.5 points against Xavier. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 144 points. Butler won both meetings during the regular season, covering the spread in both games as well. Today’s game takes place from Madison Square Garden in New York.
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Butler has the No. 2 seed in this tournament after going 12-6 in conference play and 23-7 overall. The Bulldogs are coming off a 70-64 loss at home to Seton Hall last week. The Bulldogs are 17-11 against the spread on the season and 9-5 ATS away from home. Butler is averaging 76.9 points per game on offense while allowing 68.6 on defense. Kelan Martin is leading the team with 16.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while Andrew Chrabascz is adding 11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
Xavier is coming off a 75-64 win over DePaul last night to improve to 20-12 on the season. The Musketeers have won and covered in their last two games to move to 13-18 against the spread on the season. Xavier is averaging 75.1 points per game on offense while allowing 71.7 on defense. Trevon Bluiett is leading the team with 18 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while J.P. Macura is adding 14.5 points per contest.
Bet on the Big East Tournament
Butler has managed to handle Xavier this season in two meetings and the Musketeers aren’t playing all that well for the last month. Outside of two wins over DePaul, Xavier hasn’t beaten any other team since Feb. 4. The Bulldogs have proven to be one of the best teams in this conference and own two wins over Villanova. I expect them to remain consistent and win comfortably today.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: BUTLER -5.5