The Villanova Wildcats (8-9, 2-4 Big East) and Butler Bulldogs (10-8, 2-5) clash in a showdown of usual conference contenders off to slow starts in Big East play. The opening tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse will be at 7 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Villanova vs. Butler odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Villanova was dumped at DePaul 75-65 as a -6.5 favorite Tuesday and has lost 2 in a row straight up (SU)and against the spread (ATS). Recent offensive struggled have the Wildcats logging a 1-4 SU record in their last 5 games and in jeopardy of posting their 1st under-.500 season since 2011-12.
The Bulldogs are also 0-2 SU and 0-2 ATS over their last 2 games. Shooting woes and significant rebounding deficits have driven Butler into a 2-5 mark since Dec. 17. Over that span, the Bulldogs have filed a 38.7% mark from the floor while logging a minus-8.2 in average rebound margin.
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