by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Where to watch:
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: UConn -8
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: UConn -8.5
Season record
No. 25 UConn: 12-4 (3-2 Big East)
Butler: 9-8 (2-4 Big East)
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UConn - Butler preview, analysis and prediction
It’s not often you get the home-and-home back-to-backs, and even less often in the team getting both wins. That’s what I expect for the UConn Huskies when they face the Butler Bulldogs on Thursday.
The Huskies and Bulldogs will meet for the second time in three days with UConn coming off a 76-59 win at home on Tuesday. UConn won for the third time in four games (the lone loss being a 90-87 overtime loss on Jan. 8.
UConn answered with wins at home against St. John’s and the Bulldogs, while UConn has gone 5-3 against the spread in its past eight. There’s a ton to like when it comes to UConn, even though the Huskies may not be the world-beaters in the Big East when there’s other top teams out there.
But while the Huskies were a hair below their season average in scoring on Tuesday, their defense swarmed Butler and held the Bulldogs to just 59 points. UConn took a 39-24 lead at halftime before taking its foot off the gas in the second half, but by then the game was already well out of reach.
Five players scored in double figures led by R.J. Cole’s 17 and six rebounds, while Adama Sanogo and Andre Jackson each had double-doubles while holding Butler to just 30.5 percent.
"It's good to see guys come in and play well to back up the guys who started the game," Cole said. "And that's the strength of our team. We've been talking about depth all year and so finally, it's starting to click for us."
UConn has been very good against the spread when it comes to conference play over the past few seasons. The Huskies are 25-18 ATS against conference opponents while 26-17 straight up, a near identical mark for the two. Following conference games, UConn is 27-16 ATS in its last 43 and are 17-7 ATS off a win against a conference opponent.
Butler has not been that great. The Bulldogs are just 1-5 ATS off a conference game and just 20-26 ATS over the past three seasons. Even at home, the Bulldogs are just 19-18 ATS at home.
UConn is the far more talented team at this juncture and I’m not sure Butler can recover on such a quick turnaround. UConn will show why it’s the top team in the Big East with a comfortable cover and win. UConn by 15
Betting trends
UConn is 1-7 ATS in its last eight following an ATS win.
UConn is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 road games against teams with a winning home record.
Butler is 1-4 ATS in its last five.
Butler is 2-6 ATS in its last eight home games.
Projected starting lineup
UConn:
PG: R.J. Cole
SG: Andre Jackson
SF: Tyrese Martin
PF: Akok Akok
C: Isaiah Whaley
SF: Tyrese Martin
PF: Akok Akok
C: Isaiah Whaley
Butler:
PG: Aaron Thompson
SG: Jair Bolden
SF: Jayden Taylor
PF: Bryce Nze
C: Bryce Golden
SF: Jayden Taylor
PF: Bryce Nze
C: Bryce Golden
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
