The Butler Bulldogs have a forecast 63% chance to win against The Xavier Musketeers with a spread of -1.0/1.0 and an over/under of 140.0. The Butler Bulldogs are 0 – 0 against The Xavier Musketeers in the 2021-22 Season.— Friday, January 07th Xavier Musketeers @ Butler Bulldogs
After a lengthy layoff, the No. 22 Xavier Musketeers (11-2, 1-1) get back into Big East action on Friday with a trip to face the Butler Bulldogs (8-5, 1-1).
Xavier hasn’t played since losing by 13 at Villanova on December 21, while Butler also had two of their last four games postponed by COVID-19. Friday’s game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, televised by FS1.
These teams have met since 1937 in three different conferences, and Xavier holds a 32-24 advantage. Butler has a 17-15 record at Hinkle, but Xavier won both regular-season matchups last year.
Butler took the final matchup of 2021 with a 70-69 overtime win in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Xavier Balanced on Offense
The Musketeers are 9-4 ATS this season, and the under is 7-5-1 in their 13 games. They are 2-2 away from home this year and 1-1 in true road games. They have taken the 25th most free throws in the nation and shoot 71.1 percent from the line.
The Musketeers rank 21st in the nation with 40.9 rebounds per game and 103rd in scoring at 75.5 points per game. The defense ranks 47th in scoring (62.0) and 29th in shooting at 38.7 percent.
Nate Johnson leads the team in scoring with 13.2 ppg, and he’s shooting a team-best 45.8 percent from 3-point range. Jack Nunge shoots 54 percent from the field and averages 12.5 ppg to go with 1.5 bpg.
Colby Jones leads the team in rebounding at 8.2 while also scoring 11.5 ppg. The fourth Musketeer in double figures is Paul Scruggs at 10.4 ppg as he effectively slashes to the basket for easy points.
Bulldogs Struggle to Score
The Bulldogs are 3-8 ATS this season, and the under is 10-1 in their 11 games. The defense ranks 30th in the nation in scoring defense at 60.5 ppg, and they allow opponents to shoot 30.3 percent from 3-point range.
Offensively they’ve been bad all season, ranking 325th in the country in scoring (62.8), 256th in shooting (42.7%), and 331st in rebounding (32.1).
On Tuesday, Chuck Harris was held scoreless in the loss against No. 24 Seton Hall, but he leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 10.6 ppg on the season. He had 21 against Xavier in the Big East Tournament last season and has topped 20 twice this season.
This season, Freshman Jayden Taylor has scored in double figures eight times, including three straight games. At 10.5 ppg, he is third among freshmen in the Big East in scoring.
Bryce Golden ranks third in the conference with a 61.7 shooting percentage while scoring 9.7 ppg and grabbing 4.2 rpg. Aaron Thompson (6.9) and Jair Bolden (9.5) also contribute to the scoring, while Bryce Nze leads the team with 5.3 rpg.
Butler’s defense has been great lately, with 18 combined steals in the last two games. Thompson leads the way there, and he had seven steals against DePaul as Butler forced 21 turnovers.
Betting Analysis
Xavier Musketeers -5.5 (-110). Money line -210
Butler Bulldogs +5.5 (-110). Money line +180
Total Points: 131.5 Over -105. Under -115
Butler is 6-5 against Division 1 opponents this season, and 1-5 against teams ranked in the top 100. They don’t have the pieces to compete against top teams that can run up and down the court or score effectively.
This is a great chance for Xavier to make a statement on the road that they are a legit Big East contender this season.
FREE PICK: Xavier -5.5 (-110).