The Indiana State Sycamores visit Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on the Butler Bulldogs. The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and can be seen on FS1.
The Bulldogs won a close one over Cincinnati 78-76 on Wednesday. Kellen Dunham was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The Sycamores, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 68-62 loss at the hands of Eastern Illinois on Tuesday. Devonte Brown had a game-high 22 points.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Butler, a considerable 16-point favorite, takes on Indiana State. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at 148 points. The Bulldogs look to build on their records of 5-1 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Butler is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.85.
On the other side, the Sycamores head into the game with records of 3-3 both ATS and SU. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Sycamores, who are 42nd in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 35 this season.
Butler and Indiana State meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Butler won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 6-3 over the Sycamores. The Bulldogs also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Butler, O/U – Over
Notes
Butler is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Butler’s last 16 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Butler’s last 6 games.
Butler is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Butler is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Indiana State.
Butler is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 92.2 points per game (ranked fourth). Indiana State allows 64.8 points per game (ranked 60th).
The Butler Bulldogs have the third-best offensive rating in the nation (128.5). The Indiana State Sycamores have a defensive rating of 92.2 (ranked 40th).
The Indiana State Sycamores average a field goal percentage of 39.3% this season. The Butler Bulldogs have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 39.3% or greater.
The Butler Bulldogs rank higher based on their field goal percentage (12th) than their effective field goal percentage (33rd). The Indiana State Sycamores rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (308th) than their field goal percentage (315th).
Butler ranks 38th in assists, registering 17.0 per game. Indiana State performs worse at 290th with 11.5 assists per game.
Butler, the 83rd-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 40.3 rebounds per game. Indiana State does worse, ranked 141st with 38.3.
Butler makes an average of 7.0 steals per game. Indiana State has not won a game when it has given up 7 or more steals this season (0-1).
