Xavier Musketeers at Butler Bulldogs Betting Preview

The Big East will be on full display Friday night when the No. 22 Xavier Musketeers (11-2, 1-1 in Big East) take on the Butler Bulldogs (8-5, 1-1 in Big East). The Bulldogs will host this one at Hinkle Fieldhouse, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
Xavier had its seven-game win streak snapped in its last outing as it lost 71-58 to No. 19 Villanova. In the loss, Dwon Odom scored 13 points while Nate Johnson added 12. No other player had double digits.
Butler comes into this one having lost two of their last three. To their credit, though, their two losses were against No. 3 Purdue (77-48) and No. 24 Seton Hall (71-56). In their loss to Seton Hall, Bryce Golden scored 19 points while Bryce Nze (12), Jayden Taylor (10), and Aaron Thompson (10) also had double-digit points.
Xavier is the favorite in this one despite playing on the road. They are -230 to win while the Bulldogs’ moneyline sits at +188. The spread features Butler +5.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 130.5 (-110).
More Odds
Xavier has the better odds between the two of winning the Big East at +800. The Bulldogs are +12000 to win it all.
In terms of winning the National Championship, Xavier is +7500 while Butler is +30000.
By The Numbers
Xavier is significantly better on the offensive side. They rank 65th in the nation in scoring averaging 75.5 points per game (66 on the road). Butler ranks 324th, averaging 60.4 points per game (64 at home).
Defensively, these two are identical. They rank tied for 40th in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 62 points per game. Of note, Butler is allowing just 59.4 at home while Xavier is allowing 70.5 on the road.
Consistency Key For Xavier
Xavier has a solid all-around team. While they may not have the most dominant team in any facet, they don’t have any glaring weaknesses either. They will hope to use that consistency at both ends to take down Butler on the road.
Part of the Musketeers’ consistency comes from their veteran leadership. Three of their four top scorers are upperclassmen, including leading scorer Nate Johnson. The senior guard is averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
Junior forward Jack Nunge (12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds) and senior guard Paul Scruggs (10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists) are also having nice years.
The last scorer averaging double-digits is sophomore guard Colby Jones, who is averaging 11.5 points on 51.1% shooting. He is also averaging 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
Butler Looks For Home Upset
Against a solid Xavier team, Butler would love nothing more than to go above .500 in the conference while also picking up a signature win. They do have the advantage of playing at home in this one, where they are currently 6-2.
The Bulldogs only have two players averaging double digits in guards Chuck Harris and Jayden Taylor. For Harris, he is averaging 10.6 points on just 33.9% shooting. He is also averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Taylor is averaging 10.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Other contributors for Butler include Bryce Golden (9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds), Jair Bolden (9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds), and Bryce Nze (7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals).
Take Xavier To Win And Cover
This one just really comes down to Butler’s inability to score. They have a respectable defense but ranked 324th in the nation in scoring; it has just been an uphill battle for the Bulldogs this season.
Granted, they have been statistically better at home, but Xavier’s consistency on both ends of the floor should prevail in this one.
Take Xavier to win and to cover the modest 5.5-point spread.