Tag: Butler Bulldogs

Thad Matta reportedly set to hire two former Ohio State greats at Butler

How do you feel about these two Buckeye greats headed to Butler to assist Thad Matta?

Former Ohio State basketball head coach Thad Matta is already pulling guys from his time on the banks of the Olentangy. As first reported by David Woods of the Indy Star, Matta is all set to add Buckeye greats Greg Oden and Jon Diebler to his staff.

The two need no introduction for OSU fans. Oden burst onto the scene as a freshman as the most coveted big-man coming out of high school and quickly made good on that promise, nearly helping lead Ohio State to a national title during the 2006-2007 season. Injuries derailed his NBA aspirations, but he eventually found his way back to Ohio State on Chris Holtmann’s staff as a graduate assistant last season.

Diebler is still the program’s all-time leader when it comes to three-point baskets made and left as the best all-time in the Big Ten (since surpassed by Jordan Bohannon of Iowa). He too competed on some of the best teams Matta ever ran out on the court from 2007 to 2011. He was a late NBA draft pick but never elbowed his way in the league, instead enjoying a long career overseas. This will be his first foray into the official coaching ranks.

There has been no formal announcement on what roles the two will have on Matta’s staff, but it will more than likely be in a support role since his three full-time assistant positions have already been filled by Mike Pegues, Kevin Kuwik, and David Ragland.

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WATCH: Thad Matta introductory press conference at Butler

What Thad had to say during his Butler introductory press conference on Wednesday.

Former Ohio State basketball head coach Thad Matta is back on the sidelines and he’s looking to restore some glory to his former team and alma mater, Butler.

We kind of lost track of Matta after he exited Ohio State with health and performance issues, but every once in a while you’d hear his name surface with coaching vacancies only for it to be a bit of afterthought. Not this time though.

The pull of Butler was too much for a guy that is an Indiana native and makes his home just down the road from campus. He’s back in the fray and it’ll be interesting to see how the grind of recruiting, game days, practices, and other functions are handled by what looked like a tired and pained head coach when he left the game in 2017.

Nevertheless, we’ll be rooting for him except for when the paths of Ohio State and Butler cross.

Matta was formally introduced to the Butler media on Wednesday, and of course, we were interested in what the former Buckeye great had to say to the Bulldog faithful. You might be too. If you are, you’re in luck because we have the video thanks to the YouTube Channel of Butler Athletics.

Watch the below and listen to Matta discuss what it means for him to come home to Butler, how he’s feeling healthwise, and even some of the things he’ll bring from his time at Ohio State.

We’ll be very interested observers when Butler kicks off its season in November. Stay tuned …

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Villanova at Butler odds, tips and betting trends

The Butler Bulldogs (13-17, 6-13 Big East) are underdogs (+8.5) as they attempt to end a four-game losing streak when they host the No. 11 Villanova Wildcats (22-7, 15-4 Big East) at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The …

The Butler Bulldogs (13-17, 6-13 Big East) are underdogs (+8.5) as they attempt to end a four-game losing streak when they host the No. 11 Villanova Wildcats (22-7, 15-4 Big East) at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The point total is set at 128 in the matchup. In this article, we investigate the Villanova vs. Butler odds and lines ahead of this contest.

Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.

Villanova is 13-13-2 against the spread this season compared to Butler’s 14-15-0 ATS record. The Wildcats have a 15-13-0 record hitting the over, while games involving the Bulldogs have a record of 14-15-0 when it comes to hitting the over. The two teams score an average of 137 points per game, nine more points than this matchup’s total. Villanova is 3-5-2 against the spread and 8-2 overall in its past 10 games, while Butler has gone 7-3-0 against the spread and 3-7 overall.

Here is everything you need to prepare for Saturday’s Big East college basketball matchup.

Villanova at Butler odds, spread and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list.

  • Spread: Villanova -8.5
  • Total: 128
  • Moneyline: Villanova -466, Butler +346

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Villanova at Butler odds, spread, & more

Prediction

Villanova 72, Butler 62

Moneyline

  • The Wildcats have been favored on the moneyline 23 total times this season. They’ve gone 20-3 in those games.
  • Villanova is 13-1 (winning 92.9% of its games) when it has played as a moneyline favorite of -466 or shorter.
  • The Wildcats have an 82.3% chance to win this contest based on the moneyline’s implied probability.
  • The Bulldogs have been underdogs in 19 games this season and won four (21.1%) of those contests.
  • Butler has entered eight games this season as the underdog by +346 or more and is 2-6 in those contests.
  • The Bulldogs have a 22.4% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.

Against the spread

  • The 73.7 points per game the Wildcats average are 7.6 more points than the Bulldogs give up (66.1).
  • Villanova is 12-10-2 against the spread and 21-4 overall when scoring more than 66.1 points.
  • Butler is 12-8 against the spread and 12-10 overall when allowing fewer than 73.7 points.
  • The Bulldogs’ 63.3 points per game are just 0.5 fewer points than the 63.8 the Wildcats give up to opponents.
  • Butler is 8-5 against the spread and 10-4 overall when it scores more than 63.8 points.
  • Villanova has an ATS record of 10-4 and a 12-2 record overall when its opponents score fewer than 63.3 points.
  • The Wildcats have totaled a total of 286 more points than their opponents this year (an average of 9.9 per game), while the Bulldogs have been out-scored by opponents on average this year (by 86 total points, 2.8 per game).

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Over/Under

  • The Wildcats have an average implied point total of 74.0 this season, which is 6.0 points higher than their implied total in Saturday’s game (68).
  • This season, Villanova has scored more than 68 points 22 times.
  • The average implied point total on the season for the Bulldogs (71.0) is 11.0 more points than the team’s implied total in this matchup (60).
  • This year, Butler has put up more than 60 points in 17 games.

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How to watch Villanova vs. Butler

  • Game Day: Saturday, March 5, 2022
  • Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
  • TV Channel: FOX

Find out how to watch for free with fuboTV.

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Butler’s adorable mascot dog road trip included visits with some similarly very good mascot pups

This is the best road trip with the best dogs.

Butler University’s live mascot, Blue IV, is on the road trip of his young pup life.

Thanks to men’s basketball games against Georgetown, Villanova, and UConn, Butler Blue hopped a flight from Indianapolis to the east coast for an adventure. Aptly dubbed the “Big Dawg Tour,” this trip serves multiple purposes.

First, there’s basketball! The obvious benefit is having a super cute dog mascot on hand for the men’s games, but it also serves to introduce Butler University to more regions and to connect alumni and future Bulldogs to their school.

“Big Dawgs Tour began during the 2013-14 season when Butler joined the Atlantic 10 as a way to introduce the university to new markets,” Blue’s handler Evan Krauss told For the Win.

Krauss — who arguably has the best job in the country — and Blue manage to do all of that, while also creating the most amazing social media content. They added a few bonus stops to meet both in-and-out-of-conference dog friends and pose with dog statues, in front of major monuments and more.
Blue met a grand total of three very good dogs, thanks in part to the robust live handler network. The handlers meet frequently over Zoom and met in person in 2018 when Colorado hosted the first live mascot conference in Boulder.
Let’s take a look at Blue IV’s journey.

 

ESPN Basketball Power Index Win Probabilities of Oklahoma Men’s First 10 Games

With the Oklahoma Sooners Men’s Basketball season tipping off tonight at Lloyd Noble Arena, how does ESPN’s BPI project their first 10 games?

The Oklahoma Men’s Basketball team will tip off their season opener tonight at 7 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Arena vs. the Northwestern State University Demons.

Oklahoma will debut a new head coach and a bevy of players, ushering in a new era of Oklahoma basketball after Porter Moser took the helm for the retired Lon Kruger.

Leading the way into the 2021-2022 season, Moser will have to help returning starters Elijah Harkless and Umoja Gibson mesh with the incoming transfers that look to make up the Sooners’ corps. Tanner Groves joins the Sooners after a tremendous 2020-2021 season with Eastern Washington. He averaged 17.2 points and eight rebounds per game, leading the Eagles to a Big Sky tournament championship and the NCAA tournament where they fell in a hard-fought game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

He’s joined by his brother Jacob Groves, who averaged 9.3 points and four rebounds per game. But that’s not where all the Oklahoma Sooners received via the transfer portal.

Jordan Goldwire is coming over from the Duke Blue Devils, where he averaged 5.8 points, four assists, 2.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game last season. He’ll help Elijah Harkless and Umoja Gibson from a formidable defensive trio at the guard position for Porter Moser.

Ethan Chargois provides depth at forward after spending four seasons with SMU. In 2020-2021, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for the Mustangs. Marvin Johnson comes over from Eastern Illinois, where he averaged 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game last season.

In Porter Moser’s first season with the Sooners, he looks to have collected a very well-rounded group of players. How quickly they’re able to mesh together will determine how they perform to start the season.

Looking ahead to start the season, let’s check out how the Sooners are expected to perform in their first 10 games using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.

Missing March Madness: Kemba Walker’s UConn wins it all in 2011

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker won a national title with the UConn Huskies on this date in 2011, beating the Butler Bulldogs 53-41.

In our penultimate installment of Missing March Madness, we find former UConn Huskies and current Boston Celtic point guard Kemba Walker reach the end of his historic run.

Having won ten straight games to get Connecticut to the national title game, the Bronx native would find himself facing the Butler Bulldogs, coached by his future coach in Boston, Brad Stevens.

As the future alles squared off for the battle, few could have predicted the defensive quagmire that would follow.

In the lowest-scoring title game in tournament history in the shot-clock era, Walker and UConn would emerge victorious — the final score just 53-41 and both teams shooting below 36 % from the floor and 28 % from deep.

The New Yorker would score 16 points and 9 rebounds in the triumph despite shooting 5-of-19 overall and 0-of-4 from three, completing what is arguably the most improbable NCAA title run in collegiate history.

Next up on April 5th, our last installment of Missing March Madness arrives, featuring All-Star teammate Gordon Hayward and Butler in the title game one season prior.

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Villanova at Butler college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing Wednesday’s Villanova Wildcats at Butler Bulldogs sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Villanova Wildcats (17-4) head into Hinkle Fieldhouse to play the Butler Bulldogs (17-5) Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Villanova-Butler odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Villanova at Butler: Three things you need to know

  1. Each team comes into this game off of a loss; Villanova lost 76-61 at Creighton Saturday, and Butler lost 65-61 at home to Providence.
  2. Villanova has the best record against Big East competition since Butler joined the conference (2013-14) at 111-22 with a 10.5-point margin of victory average. The Wildcats have 33 more intraconference wins than the second-highest winning team in the Big East.
  3. So far this season, Villanova is 2-2 versus ranked opponents, including a 56-55 win over the then No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks while Butler is 0-3 against ranked competition. 

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Villanova at Butler: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Villanova 73, Butler 66

Moneyline (ML)

The Big East is Villanova’s world and all the other teams are just living in it. Villanova has won two of the past four national championships, has been ranked first by the Associated Press at some point in three of those seasons, and has won three straight Big East tournaments. 

The Wildcats crushed Butler 76-61 in their first meeting Jan. 21 and the Bulldogs could be without starting point guard Aaron Thompson for a fourth straight game. Butler has lost five straight to Villanova and the Bulldogs are just 4-11 against Villanova since entering the Big East. Seven of those losses came by double digits. 

Butler has the fourth-highest winning percentage in the Big East since joining but they are just 14-32 against ranked opponents and Villanova is a Big East-best 35-17 with an average margin of victory of 4.8 points against ranked opponents. 

BET VILLANOVA (+120) on the money line.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Surprise, surprise, Villanova has the best against the spread record in the Big East at 146-91-2, and the best ATS record against the Big East at 77-56, since Butler joined. The Bulldogs’ ATS record against conference opponents is ranked eighth out of 10 Big East teams in the same timespan. Also, the Wildcats taking a beating in their last game to Creighton will motivate them to get back to form against a familiar punching bag. 

It feels like a sucker bet taking a public team like Villanova at such a low number, but whatever, let’s TAKE VILLANOVA +2.5 (-110) as insurance.

Over/Under (O/U)

This is a PASS on the projected total of 130.5 for me. The Under (-106) is 5-0 in the Wildcats last five road games and 4-0 in their last four games as an underdog.  However, the Over (-115) is 6-1 in the Wildcats’ last seven versus teams with a winning record. Plus, Over is 5-0 in the Bulldogs’ last five home games versus teams with a winning road record and Over is 5-0 in their last five games versus a team with a winning percentage above .600.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Butler at Villanova college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Butler Bulldogs at Villanova Wildcats betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks, tips and bets.

The Butler Bulldogs (15-3) visit the Villanova Wildcats (14-3) Tuesday at Finneran Pavilion for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Butler-Villanova odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Butler at Villanova: Three things you need to know

1.  Both Butler and Villanova have lost three times this season while playing similar schedules. The Bulldogs head into Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia off two straight losses — one at home and one on the road. The Wildcats head in on a four-game win streak. ‘Nova has been in some close games, as four of the Wildcats’ last six wins have been played within two scores.

2. Villanova defeated Butler in both of their two head-to-head meetings last season, and the ‘Cats have gotten the best of the ‘Dogs in four of their last five meetings dating back to 2017-18. Over those five meetings, Villanova is 4-1 against the spread.

3. The Wildcats rely on their outside shooting and play at a slower pace. Butler has excelled against such teams this season. The Bulldogs defense is elite; they have held foes to a 43.2% effective field-goal percentage (a rate that accounts for point differential on 2- and 3-pointers).

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Butler at Villanova: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Butler 65, Villanova 63

Moneyline (ML)

BUTLER (+145) is offering good value for the outright win on the moneyline and is worth a shot Tuesday. A $10 bet on the Bulldogs to win on the road will return a profit of $14.50.

Against the Spread (ATS)

‘Nova is undefeated (10-0) at home and 31-15 ATS over its last 46 contests at Finneran Pavilion. Both teams are 2-3 over their last five games overall.

Defense travels, and the Butler defense has held opponents to a 35% field-goal percentage in three of the team’s last five games. Look past Butler’s last two losses … or at least don’t over-emphasize them … and the Bulldogs are a tremendous play plus any points. Take BUTLER (+3.5, -110).

Over/Under (O/U)

The Over is 5-1 in Butler’s last six games vs. a winning team. The Under is 6-1 in Villanova’s last seven overall.

PASS on the Over/Under with the projected total set at 130 (Over: -110, Under: -110). It’s a well-set line with no real edge to be found.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Butler at Baylor odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Butler Bulldogs at Baylor Bears sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks, tips and bets.

The Butler Bulldogs (9-0) and Baylor Bears (7-1) square off at Ferrell Center in Waco, TX Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET in a battle between top 20 teams. We analyze the Butler-Baylor odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Butler at Baylor: Three things you need to know

1. The Bulldogs have passed all early tests with flying colors, rattling off wins over Minnesota, Missouri, Stanford, Mississippi and Florida so far while going 7-2 against the spread.

2. Graduate transfer C Derrik Smits, son of former NBA center Rik Smits, is out indefinitely for Butler due to a knee injury.

3. Baylor has posted a 4-0 ATS record against teams with a winning record.

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Butler at Baylor: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Baylor 75, Butler 71

Moneyline (ML)

Baylor (-286) is a bit expensive on the moneyline, so it’s a good idea to pass in this top-20 battle which could go either way.

Against the Spread (ATS)

BUTLER (+5.5, +100) pays plus-money and the Bulldogs are unbeaten, having passed all tests to date. They might not leave Waco with an unblemished record, but Baylor (-5.5, -120) will have trouble covering the number. Look for the Bulldogs to keep it within three buckets.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 131.5 (-110) is the play in this one, especially since the total has gone Over in 21 of the past 30 for the Bears, and the Over is 20-8 in the previous 28 for Baylor against teams with a winning percentage over .600. The Over is also 10-3 in Butler’s past 13 games following a cover in its previous outing.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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