The Villanova Wildcats take on the Butler Bulldogs. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Villanova Butler prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Villanova Butler.
The Villanova Wildcats are below .500 in the middle of January. It's a shocker, but it's true. The Wildcats are 8-9 after losing four of their last five games. The Wildcats have fallen to Connecticut, Marquette, Xavier and DePaul. Yes, UConn, Marquette and Xavier are all really good teams, but the loss to DePaul is very alarming for first-year head coach Kyle Neptune, who has not had the full roster he hoped to have due to Justin Moore's injury, but who has nevertheless failed to cultivate a bench which is deep enough to withstand specific injury limitations and roster-based constraints.
Butler has lost three of its last five games. The Bulldogs are 10-8 after losing back-to-back games to Seton Hall and St. John's, both decisive games in which Butler was not particularly competitive. With Butler at 2-5 and Villanova just half a game ahead in the conference standings at 2-4, this game contains a specific element of importance: These teams are trying to avoid finishing sixth or lower in the Big East. Finishing sixth means having to play in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Finishing fifth offers a first-round bye.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Villanova-Butler College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Villanova-Butler Odds
Villanova Wildcats: -1.5 (-110)
Butler Bulldogs: +1.5 (-110)
Over: 132.5 (-110)
Under: 132.5 (-110)
How To Watch Villanova vs. Butler
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports app
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Villanova-Butler LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread
This team isn't having a good season, but neither is Butler. Can you say with great confidence that Butler is going to produce a good 40-minute game? The Bulldogs were smashed by Seton Hall and St. John's in their most recent outings, and neither Seton Hall nor St. John's are likely to be in the NCAA Tournament. Seton Hall might have a shot, but St. John's is well outside the cut line. If Butler is getting pounded by NIT-level teams, that puts the Bulldogs on Villanova's level. The point spread doesn't lie here: There's no significant gap in quality between these two teams. Villanova has players with meaningful, high-level college basketball experience. That can be called to the forefront late in this game, and the Wildcats can beat Butler in what is very close to a pick 'em game.
Why Butler Could Cover the Spread
The Butler Bulldogs beat Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse in recent years even when Villanova was extremely good. Butler has beaten Nova in Indianapolis three times in the past six seasons, and that's when Jay Wright coached Villanova. If Butler could beat Wright and the Villanova juggernaut, it can certainly defeat this much weaker, less certain, less stable version of the Wildcats. Also keep in mind that Butler will be angry and motivated after its two recent lopsided losses. Butler knows it needs to bounce back and deliver a course-correcting victory here. This is a desperate Butler team which should play with great energy and intensity, and that will be too much for Villanova to overcome.
Final Villanova-Butler Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game. You don't want to put your trust — and your dollars — in the hands of two very unreliable basketball teams.
Final Villanova-Butler Prediction & Pick: Butler +1.5
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