Butler vs Villanova Predictions, Odds & Player Props (Feb. 20)

• The Butler Bulldogs visit the Villanova Wildcats on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Finneran Pavilion
• Villanova has won three of four, all by 16 points or more, while Butler has lost two straight
• See the Butler vs Villanova odds, predictions, and player props for Tuesday’s game

Two teams mired in the  middle of the Big East standings clash on Tuesday night as the Butler Bulldogs (16-10, 3-5 away, 7-8 Big East, 12-13 ATS) visit the Villanova Wildcats (14-11, 8-4 home, 7-7 Big East, 14-11 ATS) at Finneran Pavilion at 6:30 pm ET.

Villanova has shaken off a brutal five-game losing streak in late January by winning three of its past four, including two straight at home. The Wildcats enter Tuesday’s game as sizable 6.5-point favorites over a Butler team that’s trending in the opposite direction.

Butler vs Villanova Odds

Losers of two straight and three of four, the Bulldogs are +210 on the moneyline to win straight-up in Tuesday’s college basketball odds. The game total is sitting at 141.5, despite Villanova playing at just the 339th-fastest tempo in DI.

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With neither team projected to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament based on their current resumes, neither is among the top-20 favorites in the March Madness odds at the moment.

Villanova Picks Up Its Play

At the end of January, Kyle Neptune’s Wildcats were in a tailspin. The team lost five straight games and six of seven to fall two games under .500 in the Big East standings. But the start of February marked a turning of the tide for Nova. Led by senior forward Eric Dixon (15.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG), the Wildcats have won three of their past four with all three wins coming by at least 16 points:68-50 vs Providence, 80-52 vs Seton Hall, and 7-54 at Georgetown. Their only loss in that stretch was a narrow 56-53 setback at Xavier, which they covered as 3.5-point underdogs.

Recent results are much more in line with what Villanova showed at the start of the year. The Wildcats raced out to a 6-1 start with wins over North Carolina (83-81 neutral), Texas Tech (85-69 neutral), Maryland (57-40 home), and Memphis (79-63 neutral) before losing eight of their next 13 games.

Coming off a supremely disappointing 17-17 season in his first year on the Nova sideline, Neptune has preached (and received) better defensive effort this season. The Wildcats finished last year just 78th in defensive efficiency at KenPom. This season, they’re up to 20th.

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Butler Slipping, But Staying Competitive

The Bulldogs recovered from an ugly 2-5 start to Big East play by winning five of their next six, including an 88-81 home win over Villanova in double-overtime. But thanks to a supremely difficult stretch of games, Butler is just 1-3 in its past four, losing 71-62 at UConn, 78-72 vs Marquette, and 79-57 vs Creighton, all of which are ranked in the top-15 at both KenPom and Haslametrics. Their only win in that span was a 75-72 decision over Providence which they failed to cover as six-point home chalk.

Butler also failed to cover its home losses to Marquette and Creighton, resulting in a run of three straight ATS setbacks.

Thad Matta’s Bulldogs play a much different style than Villanova. They currently have the 116th-fastest tempo in the country, with the 41st-most-efficient offense, but 89th-most-efficient defense. Junior Michigan State transfer Pierre Brooks is proving to be one of the best transfer pickups of the season. The 6’6 “guard” is averaging 15.3 PPG while hitting at 41.3% from beyond the arc.

Butler vs Villanova Player Props

College basketball player props from DraftKings.

Nova’s Dixon leads all players in over/under points at 16.5. Butler’s DJ Davis is tops among the Bulldogs at 14.5, while leading scorer Brooks is sitting at just 11.5. Brooks has been held to single-digits twice in the last four games, which are also the only times this season that’s happened.

Butler vs Villanova Prediction

When these teams met in Indianapolis on Jan. 27, Villanova opened the game on a 17-3 run and took a nine-point lead into halftime before a disastrous second half allowed the Bulldogs to force OT. The Wildcats were uncharacteristically poor on the glass in that game, allowing Butler to grab 13 offensive rebounds (while pulling in just five of their own). They were also undisciplined, getting outscored 17-6 from the free-throw line while losing the turnover battle 14-10.

Villanova was/is the more skilled team and has been playing up to its potential of late. Expect another fast start from Neptune’s group as they dominate the early proceedings.

BUT vs NOVA pick: Villanova -3.5 first-half moneyline (-104) on the FanDuel Sportsbook app

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NCAAM betting record:

• ATS: 15-13 (+0.61 units)
• Moneyline: 1-5 (-4.78 units)
• Player props: 2-2 (+0.78 units)

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