Lafayette Leopards vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 11/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Lafayette Leopards vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Monday, November 2, 2026

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Lafayette Leopards (11-21 last year) are traveling to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Monday where they will meet the Butler Bulldogs (16-16 last season).

The Lafayette Leopards played Holy Cross and took a loss by a score of 82-77 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Leopards finished with 13 while Holy Cross finished the game with 18 personal fouls. They also made 8 out of their 24 tries from distance. Holy Cross went 100.0% from the free throw line by making 18 of 18 shots. Moreover, Holy Cross grabbed 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Holy Cross recorded 22 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. In reference to defense, Lafayette let their opponent shoot 46.7% from the field on 28 out of 60 shooting. They also doled out 18 dimes for this contest while forcing 7 turnovers and having 2 steals. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 26 with 2 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Leopards converted 15 of 18 attempts for a rate of 83.3%. Lafayette wrapped up the contest with a 49.1% field goal percentage (26 out of 53) and knocked down 10 of 21 3-pointers.

Caleb Williams is a guy who was a factor for the contest. He ended up going 55.6% from the field and also dished out 1 assist. He was on the court for 32 minutes and also collected 6 boards. He left the arena with 16 points on 5 out of 9 shooting.

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Lafayette will play this contest after finishing with a record of 11-21 last year. They averaged 69.4 points per outing (320th in the country) while shooting 42.8% from the field. The Leopards shot 32.1% on 3-pointers (236 of 735) and 69.0% from the charity stripe. As a squad, Lafayette snagged 33.1 boards per game and earned 436 dimes last year, which was 216th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They lost possession via turnover 10.4 times per contest and as a group committed 16.3 personal fouls every game.

When they were on defense, the Leopards were able to force 10.7 turnovers per game and they drew 17.3 personal fouls. They were 309th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 506 surrendered last season. The Leopards allowed an opponent shooting percentage of 46.1% (857 of 1,857) and they conceded 35.8 boards per game as a team. They relinquished 35.6% on shots from downtown and they were 196th in college in opponents points per game (74.4).

For their last game, the Butler Bulldogs went home defeated by a final of 91-81 when they played Providence. In the matter of rebounds, Butler permitted Providence to pull down 33 in all (6 offensive). They finished 51.9% from 3-point land by shooting 14 out of 27 and ended up shooting 9 out of 13 at the charity stripe (69.2%). The Bulldogs allowed Providence to bury 34 of their 65 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.3% in this matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs shot 30 for 65 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.2%. In the matter of shots from downtown, Butler buried 5 of their 17 tries (29.4%). They were able to bury 16 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.2%. Providence was called for 16 personal fouls for the game which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for 21 shots. They also turned it over 8 times, while earning 4 steals for this game. The Bulldogs were able to pull down 21 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards for a total of 25 in this game.

Michael Ajayi was important for the Bulldogs for the matchup. He accumulated 21 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and earned 4 assists for the contest. He made 7 of 17 for the contest for a rate of 41.2%, and accumulated 11 rebounds.

Butler had a win-loss record of 16-16 last year. As an offensive unit, the Bulldogs hit 45.2% from the field, which was ranked 180th in college. Butler had 2,540 pts throughout last year (79.4 per contest) and they averaged 37.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists was at 15.5 times per contest (81st in Division 1) and they lost possession via turnover 11.3 times per game. The Bulldogs committed 15.3 fouls every game and they went 71.9% from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs were ranked 282nd in college hoops in PPG allowed with 77.5. They were able to force 10.8 TO's every game and let teams shoot 45.7% from the floor (264th in the country). The Butler defense conceded 33.3% on shots from beyond the arc (255 of 765) and their opponents knocked down 71.8% of their free throw attempts. They gave up 13.6 dimes and 34.3 rebounds every game, which was ranked 181st and 176th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Lafayette

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