Butler Aims to Halt Five-Game Skid Against Villanova

A pair of ranked teams from the Big East will square off in a key league matchup Wednesday when the Butler Bulldogs (17-5) host the Villanova Wildcats (17-4). The 19th-ranked Bulldogs and 10th-ranked Wildcats are both coming off losses, with the latter going for a sweep of the season series after winning the first meeting 76-61 as a 3.5-point favorite on January 21.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Host Butler has gotten a little love from bettors, who have shown some support to move the line slightly up to -2.5 at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. The same can be said for the total, with the number rising a bit to 130.5, perhaps based on a higher-scoring affair in the first meeting.

Villanova News & Notes

Villanova was surprised at home last Saturday, with the Creighton Bluejays taking care of business rather easily in a 76-61 rout. The Wildcats were upset as 6.5-point favorites and saw their seven-game winning streak also come to an end. They went 5-2 against the spread during that streak as well, including an easy cover in the first meeting with the Bulldogs.

The good news for Villanova is that the team brings a five-game series winning streak into this conference game – both straight-up and against the spread – according to the Odds Shark College Basketball Database. In fact, the Wildcats have gone 12-3 SU in the past 15 meetings dating back to 1996 too, with the OVER on a 6-1 run in the past seven.

Butler News & Notes

Butler needs a win here badly, especially following a disappointing performance in a 65-61 loss to the Providence Friars on Saturday as a 6.5-point favorite. The Bulldogs had won their previous two games, but both of those were decided by five points or less as well. Prior to that, they suffered through a three-game losing streak in which each setback was by eight or more points, with the OVER going 3-0.

Poor defense has been the difference in most of the team’s losses, with opponents averaging 74.5 in the last four since the first defeat, 53-52 to the top-ranked Baylor Bears as a 6-point road underdog on December 10. If Butler can get back to basics and play much better defensively, then an end to the series skid can happen.

Betting Pick: OVER 130.5

Only once in the last seven meetings have these two schools combined for fewer than 137 points, with the OVER cashing six times during that stretch. And before the past two meetings, the lowest final point total was 140, which surpassed the closing number of 139. That said, look for another high-scoring affair with more than 130 points in the end.