Xavier vs. Butler Pick
Can No. 5 Xavier go on the road and get a victory over Butler when the two Big East foes meet up tonight at 6:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Butler is favored at home, as the Bulldogs are getting odds of -3 points against Xavier. The over/under total is listed at 155 points. Tonight’s game will take place from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana and will air live on FS1.
Xavier has won six straight coming into tonight’s game, including a 96-91 OT win over Georgetown this past weekend. The Musketeers are 21-3 overall, 9-2 in the Big East and 16-8 against the spread. Xavier is averaging 84.7 points per game this season while allowing 73.4 per contest. Trevon Bluiett is leading Xavier with 19.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while J.P. Macura is adding 12.7 points per contest.
Butler has won four straight games coming into tonight, including an 80-57 win at home over DePaul. The Bulldogs are 17-7 overall, 7-4 in the Big East and 13-10 against the spread. Butler is averaging 79.9 points per game this season while giving up 70.6 per contest. Kelan Martin is leading Butler with 19.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while Kamar Baldwin is adding 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
Xavier has won the last two meetings with Butler, including a meeting on Jan. 2, 86-79. The Musketeers have covered in six of their last eight games against Butler. While Xavier is playing well, Butler has been a very tough team that home. The Bulldogs are the only team to pick up a win over Villanova and that came at home. The Musketeers have had their two losses in Big East play come on the road. They average nearly 10 points less on the road than they do overall. The public betting is slightly with Xavier, but I will take Butler to stay tough at home.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: BUTLER -3