Butler has been the more impressive team this season and gets this one at home, so clearly it should be the favorite. Xavier has its share of wins over high-major foes but has yet to defeat a ranked team this year.
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Butler is 14-2 straight up and 11-5 against the spread on the season. The Bulldogs have played in nine home games this season and covered in six of them. Butler is 9-5 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
Xavier is 13-2 straight up and 9-5 against the spread. The Musketeers have played three true road games this season, covering in one of them. Xavier has only been the underdog once this year and didn’t cover in it.
Player to Watch
Kelan Martin – The junior guard is leading Butler in points this season, averaging 17.4 per game along with 5.5 rebounds per game. In six games this season, he has scored 20 or more points including a season-high 30 points against Central Arkansas on December 3rd.
Martin hasn’t been quite as hot in scoring lately, averaging 13.3 points per game over the last four, but has been a difference-maker on the boards with 8.3 rebounds per game in that span. Teammate Andrew Chrabascz has been a nice complementary piece on offense to Martin, averaging 11.9 points this season.
Martin had a double-double in the overtime win over Georgetown on January 7th, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He will look to build upon that performance this week, facing another tough opponent in Xavier.
Key Stat
58. That’s how many points Butler held formerly top-ranked Villanova to on January 4th as it handed the Wildcats their only loss of the season so far. It was an impressive performance for Butler’s defense, considering Villanova is a team that averages 79.3 points a game.
The win is Butler’s most impressive victory thus far, but the team has victories against three other nationally-ranked opponents including No. 8 Arizona and No. 9 Indiana.
Butler’s defense is allowing 64.7 points per game this season, but will be tested again this week. Xavier’s offense is averaging 78 points per game right now and recently played Villanova as well, but was blown out.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Xavier is nationally ranked but doesn’t have nearly the resume as Butler on the year. The Bulldogs have knocked off some of the country’s best teams and could be ranked higher if not for a couple of perplexing losses to inferior teams.
Despite those lulls, Butler has shown its ability against top-notch competition. The Musketeers could use a nice road win like this to boost their NCAA men’s basketball tournament resume but it’s unlikely to happen.
Butler is the better team and plays at home so it stands to reason that it will come away with the victory. The conference is stacked with a lot of talent and games between the best are must-see television. The Bulldogs are used to the bright lights and won’t have any trouble performing.
Butler is a darkhorse candidate heading into March Madness and will prove again why it is a dangerous team with this win.
College Basketball Odds: Butler 76, Xavier 70
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