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Northwestern and Butler will battle on Thursday night in a neutral site basketball game at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. Northwestern is 5-1 in nonconference play this season, while Butler is behind them with a 4-1 record.
Butler has been perfect against Northwestern in their program's history, owning a flawless 5-0 record. Their last win came in the 2016-17 season with a two-point victory. It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Northwestern-Butler prediction and pick.
Northwestern started the year with a blowout win over Lehigh before dropping their next game to Dayton. However, the Wildcats have been on a winning run since that game.
It hasn't been the most dominant run, and ask the team or its fans, and they'd tell you they should be beating some of the teams they played by more, but it'll still look suitable for their record at the end of the year.
Northwestern beat UIC by nine before outlasting Eastern Illinois in overtime and beating Montana State by three. They returned to their dominating ways last Friday when they beat Pepperdine 68-50.
Butler's schedule has been full of more convincing victories, but their two-point loss to Austin Peay in the season's second game was a tough pill to swallow.
It has been smooth sailing for the Bulldogs since that game, as they beat Missouri State 72-65 in the opener but opened up the margins with a 20-point win over Western Michigan, an 11-point win over SMU, and a 78-39 victory over Merrimack.
Here are the Northwestern-Butler College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Butler Odds
Northwestern: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +115
Butler: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -135
Over: 134.5 (-110)
Under: 134.5 (-110)
How to Watch Northwestern vs. Butler
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win
Northwestern must rely on Nick Martinelli in this matchup as he enters the game with the country's fourth-best points-per-game average at 23.8, but he must be able to make plenty of shots, as three-point shooting isn't his forte. Butler isn't as good at defending the midrange, meaning Martinelli could dominate again in this matchup.
Why Butler Will Cover The Spread/Win
Butler can severely outscore Northwestern in this game if the Wildcats can't find their shooting touch. Northwestern was adept at shooting threes last season, hitting them at a 39% rate. They have taken a step back this season, shooting just 31.7% and reaching a new low when they drained 2 of 11 against Pepperdine in their most recent game.
It could be a problem for them in this game, as Butler is good from beyond the arc, both offensively and defensively. Butler ranks 12th in the nation in three-point efficiency, hitting 41.1% of their shots. At the other end, Butler defends threes as the eighth-best team, allowing opponents to hit just 24.3%.
Final Northwestern-Butler Prediction & Pick
Northwestern's record shows that it is one of the better teams in the nation, but the quality of its wins through the first six games tells a different story. They have been barely getting past some of the more inferior teams in the country, and they could be in for a rude awakening against the Bulldogs.
If Butler's guards control the perimeter as they have been through the first five games, Northwestern won't be able to keep up and will drop this neutral-site battle.
Final Northwestern-Butler Prediction & Pick: Butler -1.5 (-110)
