The No. 5 Xavier Musketeers (14-1, 2-0 Big East) put their nine-game winning streak on the line when they take on the Butler Bulldogs (12-3, 2-0 Big East) at Cintas Center. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 154.5 points with Xavier set as a 7-point favorite.
Butler Bulldogs vs. Xavier Musketeers ATS Prediction
In the Bulldogs’ last game, they beat the No. 1 Villanova Wildcats, 101-93. The Bulldogs made 14 of their 18 free throws (77.8 percent) and held the Wildcats to an offensive rebounding percentage of 22.2 (below their season average of 33.1). Kamar Baldwin had a solid performance for Butler, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Musketeers were victorious over the DePaul Blue Demons in their last game, 77-72. The Musketeers forced 23 turnovers, while the Blue Demons had a free throw rate of 0.197 (below their season average of 0.252). J.P. Macura was Xavier’s high scorer with 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
The elite offense of Xavier (97th in the NCAA with an effective field goal percentage 0.579) will square off against the mid-tier defense of Butler (215th in effective field goal percentage allowed 0.509). The Musketeers should have the edge on that side of the ball.
Butler heads into the game with records of 12-3 straight up (SU) and 8-6 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has a tendency to place the total low when the Bulldogs are involved, as 64.3 percent of their games have gone over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Xavier is 14-1 SU and 11-4 ATS. Musketeers games also tend to go over the projected point total (64.3 percent).
Baldwin has averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals over the last five games for Butler.
After the Bulldogs won two out of three matchups against the Musketeers last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent matchup, Xavier won 62-57. The Musketeers made 17 of their 24 free throws (70.8 percent) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (29.6 vs. 23.3).
Butler Bulldogs at Xavier Musketeers Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Butler, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Butler is 1-5 ATS with 4 unders and 2 overs.
At home, Xavier is 7-3 ATS with 5 overs and 4 unders.
Butler ranks 48th in assists allowed per game (11.5) while Xavier ranks 136th (12.8).
The Bulldogs rank 50th in steals per game (7.5) while the Musketeers rank 121st (6.2).
Butler ranks 139th in three pointers attempted per game (22.2) while Xavier ranks 177th in three pointers allowed per game (25.8).
The Bulldogs rank 100th in blocks per game (3.5) while the Musketeers rank 121st in blocks allowed per game (4.1).
Butler allows the 27th-fewest rebounds per game (31.2) while Xavier ranks 29th (31.3).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Butler is 2-3 ATS with 5 overs.
Xavier is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Bulldogs’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 14.4, up from 10.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Musketeers have scored an average of 78.8 points per game (7.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.8 points per game (2.7 above their season average).
