Villanova Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Butler Bulldogs (10-4) will compete against the Villanova Wildcats (11-2) at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Villanova Wildcats faced DePaul and went home with a win by a final score of 71-66 in their last contest. Villanova ended having earned a 34.5% field goal percentage (20 of 58) and made 10 of their 23 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Wildcats converted 21 of 31 tries for a rate of 67.7%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they compiled 33 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 9 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and getting 9 steals. When talking about defending, Villanova allowed 45.0% from the field on 27 of 60 shooting. DePaul recorded 13 dimes and had 2 steals in this contest. Additionally, DePaul pulled down 41 boards (11 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. DePaul finished the game at 58.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 7 of 12 shots. They also knocked down 5 out of their 19 attempts from 3-point land. When it comes to fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 14 and DePaul totaled 25 fouls.

Bryce Lindsay is someone who had an impact in this game. He ended up shooting 41.2% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and grabbed 3 rebounds. He racked up 19 points on 7 of 17 shooting.

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Villanova enters this one with a win-loss record of 11-2 this season. They turn it over 10.5 times per contest and as a group they commit 15.9 fouls per contest. As a unit, Villanova is snagging 37.8 rebounds per game and has accumulated 198 dimes this season, which ranks 191st in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Wildcats are connecting on 37.5% from downtown (137 of 365) and 68.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 78.1 points per contest (175th in the nation) while going 45.7% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers per game while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They are 120th in D-1 in giving up assists with 168 relinquished this year. The Wildcats defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 43.6% (322 of 738) and they relinquish 33.3 boards per game as a group. They are relinquishing 36.9% on shots from distance and they are 53rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (66.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the Butler Bulldogs took a defeat with a final score of 89-85 when they faced Creighton. The Bulldogs were able to pull down 18 defensive boards and 21 offensive boards for a total of 39 in this matchup. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 7 steals for the contest. Creighton committed 16 personal fouls for the game which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They were able to convert 15 of those for a rate of 78.9%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, Butler buried 8 out of their 26 attempts (30.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs shot 31 out of 75 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.3%. The Bulldogs permitted Creighton to make 31 out of 63 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 49.2% in the matchup. They finished 40.6% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 13 out of 32 and ended up going 14 out of 15 from the free throw line (93.3%). When it comes to rebounds, Butler allowed Creighton to collect 33 in all (9 offensive).

Yohan Traore ended up being a major contributor for the Bulldogs in this contest. He converted 8 out of 13 in this game for a field goal rate of 61.5%, and accounted for 7 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 24 mins of playing time and earned 1 assist for this contest.

Butler has a mark of 10-4 for the year. The Bulldogs commit 15.1 fouls per contest while shooting 68.7% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 17.1 times per contest (67th in college) and they are turning it over 11.6 times per game. Butler has accounted for 1,208 pts for the campaign (86.3 per contest) and they collect 42.3 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Bulldogs are connecting on 47.0% from the floor, which ranks them 111th in college.

The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 207th in the nation in points given up per game with 74.1. They are forcing 12.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the field (159th in college). The Butler defense allows 31.8% on 3-point shots (98 of 308) and their opposition makes 72.2% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.8 assists and 34.1 boards per game, which ranks them 220th and 167th in college.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Butler

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