Butler Bulldogs vs Seton Hall Pirates Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Butler Bulldogs vs Seton Hall Pirates

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

TV: ESPN+

The Butler Bulldogs (10-7) are on their way to Prudential Center on Saturday where they will meet the Seton Hall Pirates (14-3).

The Butler Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against Xavier and ended up losing by a score of 89-75 in their last game. Butler ended with a 43.3% FG percentage (26 out of 60) and made 8 out of their 27 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs converted 15 of 19 attempts for a rate of 78.9%. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 31 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 19 assists for this game as well as forcing 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Pertaining to defense, Butler allowed 47.3% from the floor on 35 out of 74 shooting. Xavier earned 30 assists and had 8 steals for the contest. Additionally, Xavier collected 37 rebounds (12 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Xavier finished the game at 83.3% at the charity stripe by converting 10 of their 12 attempts. They also knocked down 9 out of their 28 tries from downtown. Regarding fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 12 while Xavier accounted for 17 fouls.

Finley Bizjack is a player who was a factor in the matchup. He notched 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting. He played 35 mins and totaled 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the floor but didn't record an assist.

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Butler heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 10-7 so far this year. They cough up possession 12.4 times per contest and as a squad they commit 15.1 fouls per contest. As a unit, Butler is collecting 40.9 boards per game and is sitting with 284 assists on the campaign, which is 69th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Bulldogs are shooting 34.3% from downtown (136 of 396) and 70.6% from the free throw line. They average 83.5 pts per contest (65th in Division 1) while connecting on 46.4% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Bulldogs are forcing their opponents into 11.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.1 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.2% from beyond the arc and they rank 253rd in the country in points per game allowed (76.2). The Bulldogs defense is giving up a FG percentage of 44.3% (496 of 1,120) and they surrender 34.0 boards per game as a team. They currently rank 264th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 253 relinquished on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Seton Hall Pirates took a loss by a score of 69-64 when they faced Connecticut. When discussing rebounding, Seton Hall permitted Connecticut to grab 31 overall (10 on the offensive glass). They finished 17.6% from 3-point land by going 3 out of 17 and ended up shooting 16 of 26 from the free throw line (61.5%). The Pirates allowed Connecticut to convert 25 of 49 tries from the floor which had them at 51.0% in this game. In all, the Pirates ended up shooting 24 for 58 from the floor which had them shooting 41.4%. With respect to shooting from beyond the arc, Seton Hall buried 1 of their 16 tries (6.3%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throws for a rate of 60.0%. Connecticut earned 21 personal fouls in this game which got the Pirates to the charity stripe for 25 attempts. They also gave up possession 14 times, while recording 8 steals in this matchup. The Pirates were able to corral 17 defensive boards and 16 offensive boards totaling 33 in this matchup.

Mike Williams III pitched in for the Pirates for this game. He earned 16 points in his 32 minutes on the court, but left the arena with no assists. He knocked down 6 out of 16 in this contest for a rate of 37.5%, and had 2 rebounds.

Seton Hall has a record of 14-3 on the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Pirates are hitting on 43.9% from the field, which is ranked 261st in the nation. Seton Hall has accounted for 1,245 pts on the campaign (73.2 per game) and they collect 36.7 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 13.6 times per game (230th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.8 times per game. The Pirates have committed 18.8 fouls per game and they shoot 74.1% from the charity stripe.

The Seton Hall defense concedes 31.5% on 3-pointers (116 of 368) and opponents are converting on 69.7% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 11.1 dimes and 33.8 boards every game, which has them ranked 34th and 137th in college hoops. The Pirates on the defensive side of the court are 6th in the nation in PPG allowed with 63.1. They are forcing 15.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.2% from the field (21st in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Butler

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