The Butler Bulldogs have been hot and cold this season, knocking off top teams while falling to some teams they should beat. They hope that trend doesn’t continue when they travel to face off with the Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East matchup.
Even though Butler is on the road, it is the more talented team and should be favored to emerge victorious. The Bulldogs are nationally ranked and are trying to position themselves for one of the top seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Georgetown has an early win over Oregon on its ledger and has played some ranked teams tough, but has an underwhelming record and really needs to turn it on in order to factor in the conference.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, January 7, 2017, at 12 p.m. ET at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Friday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Butler is 12-2 straight up and 9-5 against the spread on the season. The Bulldogs have played three true road games and haven’t performed too well with one cover in those attempts. Butler has been the favorite in all but one game and gone 8-5 against the spread when expected to win.
Georgetown is 8-6 straight up and 4-8 against the spread. The Hoyas have played six home games and have covered in only one of them. They will be getting points and will certainly be aiming to change that. Georgetown has gone 2-4 against the spread as the underdog this season and will aim to improve on that record as well.
Player to Watch
Rodney Pryor - Georgetown’s best player is its senior guard. He is averaging 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 0.9 steals on the season.
He is shooting a robust 54.7 percent from the field and 49.4 percent from the three-point line. Even though Georgetown has lost its past two games, he has played well, scoring 23 points against Marquette and 20 points against Xavier.
Pryor has been a bright spot but the Hoyas have not given him enough support this season. The supporting cast will need to step up if the team has a chance to beat Butler.
Letdown Situation
The Bulldogs are in a brutal stretch of games where they face off with not only some of the best teams in their conference but some of the best teams in the country. It began with a home game against Villanova, the No. 1 team in the country.
Then comes the Georgetown game, followed by a road game at No. 10 Creighton and a home game against No. 16 Xavier. By the end of it, Butler will know a lot about itself.
The easiest one is this game against Georgetown, and it’s one Butler needs to win. However, with a tough game beforehand and two afterward, there is a question about how mentally in-tune the Bulldogs will be in this one.
While Butler could still win this, the spread is something to consider when the letdown situation comes into play.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Butler has lost a couple of games to St. John’s and Indiana State this season, which were head-scratching results. Overall, though, the Bulldogs have been impressive and figure to be a major player when March Madness rolls around.
They may not be able to emerge unscathed out of this tough four-game stretch, but they should be able to capture this win on the road against Georgetown. The Hoyas aren’t the same power as they have been traditionally and will be hard-pressed to defend their home court against a talented opponent.
College Basketball Odds: Butler 82, Georgetown 7
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
