Villanova vs Butler Odds, Picks and Predictions: Where the Wild Things Are

The Villanova Wildcats and Butler Bulldogs lock horns at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing 75-65 road loss against the DePaul Blue Demons, and Villanova is now under .500 overall, tied with a 2-4 league record with the Blue Demons.

The Bulldogs enter with a winning record, but Butler sits at just 2-5 inside the Big East Conference, and any postseason aspirations are on serious life support. It needs to start racking up some wins, and quality wins, in a hurry.

Can the win-needy Bulldogs show enough bark to scare off the Wildcats, or will Villanova finally right the ship on the road and get back into Big East contention? We’ll discuss in our college basketball picks and predictions for Villanova vs. Butler on Friday, January 13.

Villanova vs Butler best odds

Villanova vs Butler picks and predictions

The Wildcats got off to a bit of a slow start under new head coach Kyle Neptune, posting just two victories in the first seven games overall. It was a slow transition from head coach Jay Wright to Neptune, but the team finally started responding when the calendar flipped to December.

Villanova rattled off five consecutive wins against Oklahoma, Penn, Boston College, St. Joe’s, and St. John’s from December 3-21, and things appeared heading in the right direction. However, conference members like UConn and Marquette had other ideas, quickly squelching Nova’s momentum. It has managed just a league win over Georgetown in the past five games overall.

Butler is in a very similar boat. Like Villanova, it has a marquee name, and much more is expected from its basketball team. But the Bulldogs have had few signature wins, with just victories over BYU and Kansas State to be proud about.

The bad is worse than the good for Butler, as seven of its eight losses have been by 15 or more points, including the past two outings at St. John’s and Seton Hall.

This is actually one of the most challenging games to try and handicap, because each side has really had some ups, but each side has really had some titanic downs, too.

The key here is that Villanova has been a little more competitive, and despite the fact it’s under .500 overall, this team has just two of its losses by double digits, as opposed to Butler and its bevy of blowouts.

Take the Wildcats to scratch out a win and get back to .500 overall.

My best bet: Villanova moneyline (-105)

Villanova vs Butler spread analysis

Villanova does some things very well. It is a decent offensive team, averaging 71.1 PPG this season, which is rather middling. However, the Wildcats take advantage of trips to the free-throw line, ranking No. 1 in the country with an 85.4% percentage at the charity stripe. This team doesn’t leave any free points on the floor, and for that, side bettors, and total bettors alike, are much appreciative.

The Wildcats aren’t terribly strong on defense, allowing 68.6 PPG, which is close to the median. They struggle a bit against the three, allowing opponents to hit at a 34.9% clip.

The Wildcats have been able to bounce back from disappointing performances, and Villanova is an impressive 4-1 ATS in the past five games following a non-cover in the previous outing.

Villanova is also a healthy 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight games on the road against teams with a winning overall record.

Butler is cashing at just a 1-3-1 ATS clip in the past five games at home, while going 1-5-1 ATS in the past seven games overall. It is also 2-6-1 ATS in the previous nine games at Hinkle Fieldhouse when facing a team with a losing road record.

Villanova vs Butler Over/Under analysis

Lately, Villanova has been without one of its key cogs on offense, as G Jordan Longino has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and he is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks. He is fifth in scoring with 6.7 PPG, while chipping in with 2.1 RPG and 1.1 SPG while playing just over 24 minutes per game. 

With Longino down, Chris Arcidiacono and Mark Armstrong have been working to fill the void, and doing a good job in the backcourt, lessening the blow.

The Under is 5-2 in the past seven games for the Wildcats, but the Over has cashed in 13 of the past 19 games on the road, while hitting at a 4-0 clip in the past four against winning teams.

Butler isn’t as much of a high-octane offense, hitting for just 69.4 PPG, and it isn’t a great free-throw shooting team at 73.0%. Defensively, the Bulldogs can hold their own, allowing just 66.0 PPG, but teams do hit at 43.2% from the field, and larger teams can push Butler around a bit.

The Under is on a 6-1 run for Butler lately, but at home the Over is 8-3-2 in the past 13 tries, while going 4-1 in the past five at home against a team with a losing road record.

I don’t love the total here, but the lean is to the Over for a half-unit play at best. Remember Villanova’s free-throw shooting ability, too, as its prowess at the line might be the difference between an Under and Over in what is expected to be a close battle.

Villanova vs Butler betting trend to know

Villanova is 12-5-1 ATS in the past 18 appearances on a Friday, while Butler is just 1-4 ATS in the past five outings on a Friday. Find more College basketball betting trends for Villanova vs. Villanova State.

Villanova vs Butler game info

Villanova vs Butler key injuries

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