Butler Bulldogs vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/16/2022

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Sunday, January 16, 2022

Venue:  Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Butler +15, Villanova -15; Over/Under:  123.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Butler +15, Villanova -15; Over/Under:  123.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Butler +14.5, Villanova -14.5; Over/Under:  123.5 points

 

Butler Bulldogs:  9-6 (7th place, Big East)

Villanova Wildcats:  12-4 (1st place, Big East)

 

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Butler Bulldogs:  2-3 last 5

Villanova Wildcats:  5-0 last 5

 

 

 

Butler is coming into this game with a 9-6 record overall and they are 2-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup this year and they are currently 2-2 in their conference games this season. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games but are coming into this one off of a win in their last game which snapped a 2 game losing streak that they were on. Their 2 losses in that span were against the Seton Hall Pirates and the Xavier Musketeers while their win came against the Georgetown Hoyas in their last game. Jair Bolden led the team in points in that game with 23 while Bryce Nze was next on the team with 14 points. Aaron Thompson and Jayden Taylor both led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Nze led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 39% from the field, 29% from 3-point range, and 89.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 64 PPG and the Butler defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.3 PPG against them. Butler has an ATS record of 5-10 this season and their O/U record is 3-12.

 

 

Villanova is coming into this game with a 12-4 record overall and they are 5-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 7th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 5-1 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Creighton Bluejays but they have gone on a five-game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Xavier Musketeers, the Seton Hall Pirates, the Creighton Bluejays, the DePaul Blue Demons, and Xavier again in their last game. Collin Gillespie led the team in points in that game with 21 while Justin Moore was next on the team with 16 points. Gillespie, Moore, and Caleb Daniels off the bench all led the team in assists in that game with 2 each while Eric Dixon led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 37.7% from the field, 20% from 3-point range, and 95.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.6 PPG and the Villanova defense is allowing their opponents to average 61.5 PPG against them. Villanova has an ATS record of 10-6 this season and their O/U record is 7-9.

 

Villanova is coming into this contest as a 15 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Villanova have been playing in great form in their recent games. Ever since losing their first conference matchup, they have won 5 straight games and are still undefeated at home this season. Butler is coming off of a road win against Georgetown but they are not a good team and their only other road game was against Oklahoma which they won but still not the toughest opponent. Butler has struggled with the elite talent in their conference, losing 2 straight games at home prior to their win in Georgetown, losing to both Seton Hall and Xavier by 15 points. Villanova plays great defense and they will put the clamp down on Butler in this game at home. The best bet to place in this game is on Villanova to cover the spread here as Butler does not stand a chance on the road here against this kind of highly skilled and defensive team.

 

Butler Villanova Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Sunday, January 16, 2022 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Villanova 76 Butler 55.

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Butler Bulldogs: 4-10 O/U in all games. 14-19 O/U as an underdog. 17-27 O/U when playing only their 2nd game in a week. 12-19 O/U after 2 straight games with 9 or less offensive rebounds. 6-20 O/U after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread. 6-16 O/U after playing a road game.

Villanova Wildcats: 31-40 O/U in all games. 11-17 ATS in all home games. 17-23 O/U against conference opponents. 14-25 O/U after a conference game. 12-19 O/U when playing only their 2nd game in 8 days. 8-14 O/U after having won 8 or more of their last 10 games.

 

 

Butler Bulldogs:  P. Thomas (G) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed injury.

Villanova Wildcats:  None.

 

 

“Obviously, defensively when they shoot 60% and they got in a rhythm. Kunkel made some huge shots in the second half. I told our guys I’m proud of the effort. We have to be smarter as far as defensive help. We just have to get better and keep growing.” LaVall Jordan after a home loss against Xavier.

 

 

“Really proud of our guys, against a great Xavier team. We knew there was no way they were going to lay down, and they didn’t. They were great in the second half. We just gutted it out.” - Jay Wright after their win against Xavier.

 

 

 

J. Bolden 

Bryce Golden 

T. Groce 

Jayden Taylor

A. Thompson

 

E. Dixon 

C. Gillespie 

J. Moore 

Jermaine Samuels 

B. Slater

 

 

PPG: B. Golden (10.4)

APG: A. Thompson (4.4)

Reb/G: B. Hodges (7)

 

PPG: C. Gillespie (17.1)

APG: C. Gillespie (3.3)

Reb/G: J. Samuels (6.4)

 

Coaches:

Butler Bulldogs: LaVall Jordan (5th season)

Villanova Wildcats: Jay Wright (21st season)