The No. 10-seed Butler Bulldogs (9-14, 8-12 Big East) meet the No. 7-seed Xavier Musketeers (13-7, 6-7) in the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we analyze the Butler-Xavier odds and lines, with NCAA college basketball picks and predictions.
Butler vs. Xavier: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:45 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Butler +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Xavier -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Butler +6.5 (-110) | Xavier -6.5 (+110)
- Over/Under: 133.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Butler vs. Xavier: Three things to know
- Butler was humbled at Creighton Saturday, falling 93-73, in its worst loss of the season. Still, they’re 2-1 SU/ATS across the past three, including a win at home over Villanova. The Bulldogs are 0-5 SU/1-4 ATS across the past five away from home, however.
- Xavier is also looking to bounce back after a pair of road losses to Georgetown and Marquette. The last time these teams met in Cincinnati, the Musketeers picked up a 63-51 win against the Bulldogs as 11-point favorites. XU also won 68-55 at Butler on Jan. 30 as two-point underdogs.
- The Under is 3-1-1 in Butler’s past five games against teams with a winning overall record, while Xavier is 3-1-1 in its past five overall and 3-1-1 in the past five following a straight-up loss. The Under cashed in both regular-season meetings between these teams, too.
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Butler vs. Xavier: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Xavier 67, Butler 63
Money line (ML)
While Xavier (-300) picked up wins and covers in each of the two regular-season meetings against Butler (+240), the Musketeers have won just twice in the past seven games overall. You cannot risk three times your potential return on a team that is ice-cold, especially in a game that isn’t on their home court. PASS.
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Against the spread (ATS)
BUTLER +6.5 (-110) is worth a looking catching three buckets from skidding Xavier -6.5 (+110) in this neutral-site affair. Butler has covered two of the past three outings, and they’re 5-4 ATS across the past nine. Xavier is 2-7 ATS during the same stretch.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 133.5 (-110) is the best play on the board in this Big East first-round matchup. Neither of these teams are playing with a lot of confidence at the offensive end, and the Under cashed in each of the two regular-season meetings. There are very few reasons to go with the Over.
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