Villanova Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 1/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Villanova Wildcats (8-5) are hitting the road to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday where they will meet the Butler Bulldogs (7-6).

The Villanova Wildcats took the court against Creighton and took a loss by a final of 86-79 in their last contest. Villanova ended with a 50.0% field goal percentage (32 of 64) and buried 8 out of their 20 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats converted 7 of 9 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they earned 28 with 8 of them being offensive. They also distributed 8 assists for the game in addition to creating 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. With respect to defending, Villanova allowed 55.4% from the floor on 31 out of 56 shooting. Creighton recorded 22 dimes and had 1 steal in this game. In addition, Creighton had 29 rebounds (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Creighton shot 71.4% from the free throw line by burying 10 of 14 attempts. They also made 14 out of their 25 shots from downtown. Concerning fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 13 and Creighton finished the game with 8 fouls.

Eric Dixon is a player who was important in the game. He walked away from this one shooting 58.8% from the field but finished the game without an assist. He played for 35 mins played and also totaled 2 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting.

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Villanova comes into this game with a win-loss record of 8-5 this season. They cough up possession 10.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Villanova is pulling down 35.0 boards per game and has totaled 176 assists on the year, which ranks 219th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Wildcats are shooting 40.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (136 of 335) and 80.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 79.1 points per contest (101st in college) while connecting on 49.0% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 10.5 turnovers per game while drawing 15.5 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 245th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 181 surrendered this year. The Wildcats are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.4% (308 of 710) and they concede 28.5 boards per game as a squad. They are giving up 36.9% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 104th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (67.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Butler Bulldogs took a loss by a final score of 78-74 against Connecticut. The Bulldogs were able to corral 25 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in the matchup. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. Connecticut was called for 20 personal fouls for the game which got the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for 28 attempts. They were able to make 23 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 82.1%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Butler knocked down 5 of their 15 attempts (33.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs finished shooting 23 out of 54 from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.6%. The Bulldogs allowed Connecticut to bury 27 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.0% for the game. They went 45.8% from three-point range by going 11 of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 13 of 16 at the charity stripe (81.3%). In the matter of rebounding, Butler allowed Connecticut to snag 30 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Andre Screen ended up being a major contributor for the Bulldogs for the contest. He made 4 of 7 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 57.1%, and had 10 rebounds. He accumulated 17 points in his 28 mins of playing time and had 1 assist in this contest.

Butler has a record of 7-6 on the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bulldogs are shooting 44.9% from the field, which is 196th in the nation. Butler has totaled 950 points for the season (73.1 per contest) and they pull in 35.8 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 14.0 times per contest (195th in college) and they turn it over 12.2 times per game. The Bulldogs commit 14.5 fouls per game while shooting 76.7% from the charity stripe.

The Butler defense gives up 30.4% on shots from distance (89 of 293) and opponents are knocking down 77.7% of their foul shots. They give up 11.4 dimes and 33.0 boards per game, which is ranked 82nd and 117th in D-1. The Bulldogs on the defensive side of the court are 135th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 69.4. They have forced 7.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.8% from the field (51st in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Villanova

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