As part of the Crossroads Classic, the Butler Bulldogs will take on the No.25 Indiana Hoosiers for supremacy in the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers would seemingly have the advantage in this one, but Butler is a quality basketball program and has gotten off to a solid start to the season. They also have a reinforcement coming.
The Bulldogs could also get a nice boost from Jordan Tucker in this one, too. Can he make an immediate impact and can Butler come away with the key intrastate win? Or will the Hoosiers get the victory and maintain their place within the top-25 rankings?
Look for a tight, well-played game for both teams. This is an important non-conference game for both teams and a good test before each head into their respective conference schedules. Of course, BookMaker Sportsbook has you covered with all the lines, spreads and betting props to keep you engaged.
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Indiana Hoosiers vs. Butler Bulldogs
Date and Time: Saturday, December 15, 2018, 3:45 p.m. ET
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Hoosiers vs. Bulldogs TV Coverage: CBS
Indiana offers the Bulldogs its biggest test to date. They’ve already lost this to Dayton and a sneaky good St. Louis team this year that puts a bit of a blemish on the early campaign for the Bulldogs.
Those losses aside, the team is still 7-2, having won back-to-back games. They’ve also managed wins over Florida and Ole Miss, relying on solid defense, good play all around and a stacked backcourt.
Kamar Baldwin may be one of the best players in the Big East. He’s an exceptional two-way guard, able to create shots for himself and his teammates while playing quality defense, too. He’s not shooting as well this year as he has in years past, particularly from three, but he’s stills coring 16.6 PPG and shot an encouraging 50-percent from the floor in his last game.
The team also has Paul Jorgesen on the outside who seems to have taken a massive step forward in his senior season. He’s shooting well, particularly from the perimeter and has 17.2 PPG.
Both Baldwin and Jorgesen are averaging more than 31 minutes on the court, the only two on the team to do so. They’re also solid rebounders for guards combining for 10.4 RPG. Meanwhile, Baldwin has 4.6 APG and provides steals, too.
The rebounds, however, is important, as Butler’s notching just 33 boards per game. That number could improve now that Justin Tucker is eligible to play.
The small forward was a top recruit out of high school and huge transfer from Duke. With the semester having ended, he’s not eligible to play, providing the Bulldogs a good shooter and helpful on rebounder inside.
He’ll join Sean McDermott and Henry Baddley inside the paint for a team that lacks size, but still possesses a sneaky good frontcourt with quality athletes.
Indiana doesn’t have a lot of size inside either. De’Ron Davis and Clifton Moore have the size, but they’re combining for just over 16 minutes per game, leaving Juwan Morgan and Justin Smith as the primary players inside.
Smith is inconsistent, but Morgan is a star. He’s got 15.5 PPG and 8.1 RPG. He’s also the team leader in blocks. Duke, however, was able to stop him earlier this year and when he was held at bay, the Hoosiers struggled.
Generally, the Hoosier scoring centers around Morgan and guard Romeo Langford. Langford is dynamic. He’s a solid shooter overall though he does struggle deep. Still, he’s leading the team with 18.2 PPG and offers quality rebounding, assists and defense to boot.
Indiana is coming off a narrow win over Louisville thanks to a big second half. Langford and Morgan, of course, led the team in scoring, but Rob Phinisee was another double-digit scorer in the game with 10 points. He’s the team’s leader in assists, though he had none against the Cardinals.
Live Betting
Watch for all the live betting opportunities for this game at BookMaker.eu and keep tabs on how well Butler is sinking its shots outside in addition to the early impact inside the paint for Tucker.
Indiana is the better shooting team overall, sinking 51.4-percent of its shots, but Butler has the better percentage from three-point range.
This should be a very close game and be willing to take the points if the spread gets too large. The Hoosiers and Bulldogs are No.25 and No.26 respectively in the overall KenPom rankings with Indiana getting the edge on defense and the Bulldogs on offense.
Key Player
This is easy. The key to this game will be Jordan Tucker, making his debut for Butler. The former Blue Devil transferred from Duke to Butler in January, making him the highest ranked recruit ever to suit up for the Bulldogs.
Tucker didn’t get into much action for Duke—a large reason for his transfer—but he comes with a great deal of hype. As a high schooler he was a sharpshooter and should be able to provide quality baskets. The expectation is for him to add another double-digit scorer to the mix, but will he be ready to go full-bore in his first game back?
He’s really the X-Factor here. If he’s able to make an immediate impact, the Bulldogs get a nice bump, but more than likely he’ll take some time to work his way into his full potential in game action.
Hoosiers vs. Bulldogs Live Betting
Indiana is the ranked team, but look for Butler to steal the win in what should be a hard fought battle for both teams.
Look for Tucker to make an immediate impact to the Butler offense which needs a boost, particularly from the inside. Rebounding help will also make a significant impact.
Indiana is a more accurate shooting team, but not one that racks up the boards either. They’ll shoot well enough against Butler and this game should go down to the wire, but the boost from a guy like Tucker could carry the Bulldogs to a win, particularly with Indiana having failed to score more than 69-points in their last four games.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Butler 75, Indiana 73
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