The ninth-seeded Butler Bulldogs (13-18) and eighth-seeded Xavier Musketeers (18-12) battle Wednesday in a Big East Tournament first-round game. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden in New York is slated for 4:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Butler vs. Xavier odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Butler went 6-14 over 20 Big East games. The Bulldogs faced Xavier twice (Jan. 7, Feb. 2) and dropped both games. Slow-tempo BU is solid on defense, especially along the perimeter, but has struggled down the stretch. The Bulldogs are just 2-8 over their last 10 games.
Xavier shot a combined 50.5% over its regular-season victories against Butler. The fast-paced Musketeers are solid at both ends of the floor and usually leverage an advantage in free-throw attempts.
However, XU also scuffled over the final weeks of the regular season as it went 2-7 over its last nine outings. Xavier went 8-11 in Big East play.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
Butler vs. Xavier odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:03 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Butler +185 (bet $100 to win $185) | Xavier -270 (bet $270 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Butler +5.5 (-120) | Xavier -5.5 (-113)
- Over/Under (O/U): 131.5 (O: -113 | U: -120)
[tipico]
Butler vs. Xavier odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Xavier 70, Butler 60
Money line
Don’t be fooled by the close seeds here — Xavier is the much better team. The second meeting in the regular season saw XU defeat BU 68-66, but Xavier led that game by 15 midway through the second half.
Xavier is the better shooting team and does better in denying good looks at the other end. However, even with slumps in those areas, the Musketeers figure to have an advantage in just about any other key area of comparison. Differences in rebounds, turnovers and free throws add up.
Do they add up to a 75% win expectancy, thereby creating some profit margin on this ML tag? Yes. It’ll take a certain bankroll level to leverage the value, but that value is there. BACK XAVIER (-270).
Against the spread
Butler is 1-3 against Quad 1 opponents; Xavier is 5-9. The Musketeers are the team that is more March-ready.
TAKE XAVIER -5.5 (-113).
Over/Under
STEER CLEAR of a well-made number.
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