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The Villanova Wildcats are going to start Big East play with a Midwest swing this week. On Wednesday night, the No. 1 ranked Wildcats will square off against DePaul in the Windy City. Villanova is a large favorite in that one and should take care of business with ease. However, its game against the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon will be a much different story. Butler is 8-0 at home this year and beat Villanova the last time these two teams squared off.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 30, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be televised live on CBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Villanova is undefeated and has been a great team to bet on this season. The Wildcats are 9-3 ATS and have already knocked off tough foes like Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Temple. This is one of the best offenses that you will find at the collegiate level. Ken Pomeroy has it ranked as the second-best offense in the country. Unsurprisingly, the over is 8-4 on the year and each of Villanova’s last four games has gone over the total.
Butler is looking for its second big win of the season. The Bulldogs were able to knock off Ohio State, but failed to defeat Maryland, Texas, or Purdue in non-conference play. Over has cashed in five straight games.
Player to Watch
Jalen Brunson has been incredible for Villanova this season. Brunson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.1 PPG through the first 12 games, and has been devastatingly efficient from the floor. He is hitting 60.9 percent of his field goals on the season and has been unconscious from range. While averaging more than four attempts a game, he is hitting 53.1 percent from beyond the arc.
It was Brunson that kept Villanova’s impressive streak in the Big 5 alive with a scintillating performance against Temple two weeks ago. He took over in the first half, scoring 22 of his game-high 31 points in the first frame, and it was academic the rest of the way.
Brunson isn’t just a shooter either. He also is the team’s leader in assists and grabs a good number of rebounds for a point guard. Stopping Brunson will be key for Butler on Saturday.
Coaching Angle
Butler has had some great coaches come through campus over the last decade. Brad Stevens and Chris Holtmann both had great success here, and the Bulldogs are hoping that LaVall Jordan is the next in line.
Jordan is a Butler alum, so it feels right that he is back with his alma mater. He was an assistant at Iowa for three seasons and spent the six seasons in Michigan under John Bielien until last year. Jordan took the Milwaukee job and nearly won the Horizon League’s automatic bid in his first season on campus. Rather than build on that, he decided to head home after Holtmann left for Ohio State.
He is known as a great recruiter and had a big part in helping Michigan develop some good guards during his time in Ann Arbor. Jordan is still learning the ropes, but this team has played well so far and hasn’t missed a beat.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
There’s no doubt that Villanova will be the favorite in this game. The Wildcats are a more complete team than the Bulldogs and have much more talent.
However, Butler has a very underrated home court advantage, and this team has typically played Villanova tough. The Bulldogs can slow the game down and have some quality big men that can get Nova in foul trouble. I expect Villanova to win here, but it will be close.
College Basketball Odds: Villanova 71, Butler 69
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