The Villanova Wildcats will play the Butler Bulldogs in a Big East game on Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Villanova has lost three games in a row, while Butler is on a two game winning streak. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Villanova vs Butler prediction.
Villanova Preview
The Villanova Wildcats are 11-8 (4-4) this season after they lost to St. John’s by a score of 70-50 in their last game. Villanova trailed 32-22 at halftime and they only scored 28 points in the second half in the loss. The Wildcats shot 37.5% from the field and were -19 in rebounding margin in the game. Villanova lost to UConn by a score of 66-65 and Marquette by a score of 87-74 in the two games prior to St. John’s. The Wildcats are scoring 72.5 points per game with 36.2 rebounds per game and 11.8 assists per game, while giving up 66.5 points against per game this year. Eric Dixon is averaging 15 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game. Villanova is shooting 42% from the field, 81.6% on free throws, and 32.6% on three pointers this season.
Butler Preview
The Butler Bulldogs are 13-7 (4-5) this year after they defeated Georgetown by a score of 90-66 in their last game. Butler led 44-32 at halftime and they scored 46 points in the second half for the blowout win. The Bulldogs shot 56.9% from the field and were +9 in rebounding margin in the game. Butler defeated DePaul by a score of 74-60 in the game prior to Georgetown, but lost to Xavier and Seton Hall before that. The Bulldogs are scoring 80.4 points per game with 36.9 rebounds per game and 15.3 assists per game, while giving up 72.3 points against per game this season. Pierre Brooks is averaging 16.8 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 1.2 assists per game. Butler is shooting 46% from the field, 78.8% on free throws, and 35.7% on three pointers this year.
Villanova vs Butler Betting Prediction
Villanova comes into this game on a three game losing streak and they have lost their last two road games by a combined 33 points. Butler has won two in a row against DePaul and Georgetown and they are the better offensive team in this matchup. The Bulldogs are scoring 80.4 points per game on 46% field goal shooting, while Villanova is only shooting 42% from the field. On the other side, Villanova is the better defensive team in terms of points against per game. I am going to side with Butler at home in this game. Villanova has only scored 50 and 65 points in their last two games and that is not enough to beat Butler at home. Take the Bulldogs here.