The Butler Bulldogs (17-7), the Big East’s top scoring team, will challenge the No. 5-ranked Xavier Musketeers (21-3) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The game starts at 2:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13 and can be seen on FOX.
The Bulldogs beat Seton Hall 81-75 on Wednesday. Kelan Martin fueled the Bulldogs, recording 23 points and 10 rebounds to notch his sixth double-double of the season. The Musketeers are coming off a 70-56 loss to Creighton on Tuesday. Jalen Reynolds had a team-high 17 points.
Over the last five games, Martin has taken his game to another level for the Bulldogs. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Musketeers winning the first matchup 88-69. Remy Abell was a standout player in the game, producing 21 points, one rebound, four assists, one block, and three three-pointers.
The Bulldogs have gone 17-7 Straight Up (SU) and 11-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulldogs are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a stellar .743 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs, sporting the 33rd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.39), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, the Musketeers have 21-3 SU and 14-10 ATS records. They sport the 33rd-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 79.8 points per game. Xavier is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, converting 19.0 shots from the line per game. The Musketeers have controlled the glass with an average of 41.4 rebounds per game, 16th in the country.
Following the Musketeers’ latest win over Butler, their SU record rises to 8-2 over Butler in their most recent games. Furthermore, Xavier leads the matchup ATS with a record of 9-1. Xavier held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Butler never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Xavier
Notes
“Butler is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 games “.
“Butler is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Butler’s last 10 games “.
“Butler is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Butler’s last 7 games at home”.
“Butler is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Xavier”.
“Butler is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Xavier”.
“Butler is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Xavier”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Butler’s last 6 games when playing at home against Xavier”.
The Xavier Musketeers have a solid 9-3 SU record against the Big East Conference, while the Butler Bulldogs have split their meetings with conference opponents, 6-6.
Xavier averages 79.8 points per game (ranked 33rd). Butler, on the other hand, allows 69.5 points per game (ranked 107th).
Xavier scores 77.0 points per away game (ranked 31st). Butler ranks a poor 106th in points allowed at home, allowing 66.9 points.
Ranked 48th, the Xavier Musketeers have an offensive rating of 112.7. The Butler Bulldogs rank 106th with a defensive rating of just 99.9.
Xavier has an average field goal percentage of 44.7%. Butler is a solid 6-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Butler Bulldogs and the Xavier Musketeers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Butler is 56th and 30th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Xavier ranks 150th and 142nd in these categories.
Xavier ranks 33rd in assists, recording 16.2 per game. Butler performs worse at 102nd with 14.6 assists per game.
Ranked 16th in the nation, Xavier averages 41.4 rebounds per game. Butler ranks lower at 122nd with 37.4 RPG.
The Xavier Musketeers rank 30th in offensive rebounds. The Butler Bulldogs rank 166th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 20.3% when playing Xavier this season. Butler is undefeated this season (3-0) when its TO% is 20.3% or higher.
