Northwestern Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 12/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPN+

Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the location where the Butler Bulldogs (8-3) will take on the Northwestern Wildcats (7-4) on Saturday.

The Northwestern Wildcats played Valparaiso and walked away with a win by a score of 86-70 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Wildcats left the arena with 15 and Valparaiso accumulated 19 fouls. They also converted 6 out of their 19 shots from long range. Valparaiso ended up shooting 72.7% at the charity stripe by burying 16 of their 22 tries. Furthermore, Valparaiso grabbed 27 rebounds (10 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Valparaiso doled out 12 assists and had 6 steals in this contest. Concerning defense, Northwestern let their opponent shoot 44.4% from the field on 24 of 54 shooting. They also doled out 17 assists for the game while forcing 13 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When it comes to getting rebounds, they earned 31 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Wildcats knocked down 15 of 22 attempts for a percentage of 68.2%. Northwestern finished the contest having earned a 54.1% field goal percentage (33 of 61) and made 5 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc.

Nick Martinelli is a player who was a factor for this game. He finished the game at 63.2% from the floor and totaled 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins played and pulled down 6 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 29 points on 12 of 19 shooting.

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Northwestern comes into this contest with a mark of 7-4 for the season. They currently have an average of 82.6 pts per game (94th in D-1) while going 50.5% from the field. The Wildcats are connecting on 33.3% on 3-pointers (71 of 213) and 74.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Northwestern is collecting 34.6 rebounds per game and has accumulated 203 assists on the campaign, which ranks 37th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 9.5 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Wildcats have forced 11.8 turnovers per game and they draw 19.7 personal fouls. They are giving up 28.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 130th in college in points per game allowed (71.0). The Wildcats defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 40.6% (268 of 660) and they surrender 33.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They are 263rd in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 161 conceded for the year.

In their last game, the Butler Bulldogs took a loss by a final score of 79-60 when they faced Connecticut. In regard to team rebounding, Butler allowed Connecticut to grab 43 overall (12 on the offensive side). They shot 35.0% from behind the 3-point line by going 7 out of 20 and ended up shooting 8 out of 13 at the free throw line (61.5%). The Bulldogs permitted Connecticut to convert 32 of 63 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.8% for this game. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 18 for 61 from the floor which gave them a rate of 29.5%. Concerning shooting from 3-point land, Butler converted 5 out of their 24 tries (20.8%). They were able to make 19 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 79.2%. Connecticut was called for 21 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 8 steals in this matchup. The Bulldogs recorded 16 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 27 in the game.

Drayton Jones was important for the Bulldogs in the matchup. He converted 3 of 5 in this game for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and had 5 rebounds. He tallied 13 points in his 24 mins of playing time and added 1 assist for the game.

Butler has a win-loss record of 8-3 on the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bulldogs are hitting on 47.6% from the floor, which ranks them 93rd in college. Butler has totaled 961 points on the season (87.4 per game) and they grab 42.1 boards per game. They are earning an assist 16.9 times per contest (65th in the country) and they are turning it over 11.8 times per game. The Bulldogs are committing 15.4 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 67.3% from the charity stripe.

The Butler defense surrenders 32.5% on shots from distance (76 of 234) and their opposition makes 71.2% of their foul shots. They concede 13.5 assists and 35.1 boards every game, which is ranked 189th and 206th in the country. The Bulldogs are ranked 252nd in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 76.3. They are forcing 12.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (183rd in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Butler

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