Check out our free Xavier vs Butler pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Indianapolis. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Xavier vs Butler Pick & Preview: Friday, February 10th Betting Odds

Musketeers vs Bulldogs Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Xavier Musketeers at Butler Bulldogs
  • Where: Indianapolis at Hinkle Fieldhouse
  • Date: Friday, February 10th
  • Betting Odds: Xavier -6.5, XAV -287 | BUTL +225 O/U 146.0

Musketeers Preview:

Xavier will take the floor against the Bulldogs with an overall record of 19-5. On the road, the Musketeers will be playing their 8th game of the season, having gone 5-3. So far, the Musketeers have been favored 17 times, going 16-1 straight up. In today’s matchup, the oddsmakers have Xavier as -6.5 point favorites.

Xavier will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Souley Boum who is averaging 16.29 points per game for the Musketeers. Boum is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Musketeers’ offensive game plan is the play of Jack Nunge who has hit 52.8% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.75 points per game.

On offense, Xavier is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.9 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 24 games, they have only hit 32.5% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 35.68% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

Bulldogs Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Xavier, the Butler Bulldogs will be taking the floor for the 26th time this season and have an overall record of 12-13. So far this season, Butler has played 14 games at home, sitting with a record of 9-5. For the season, Butler has been the underdog in 13 games, sitting with a mark of 1-12. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Bulldogs being +6.5 point underdogs.

Butler’s leading scorer this season is Jayden Taylor, who is averaging 12.24 points per contest. So far, Taylor has accounted for 18.4% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.84 rebounds per game and 1.24 assists. Simas Lukosius is the second leading scorer for the Bulldogs, averaging 11.44 points per game. Between him and Lukosius, they are accounting for 35.6% of the team’s scoring.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Butler this season, as they are currently ranked 411th in college basketball at 63.8 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Bulldogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 30.5%, placing them 445th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Xavier Musketeers -6.5

Heading into this matchup, our NCAA betting model has identified this game as a profitable opportunity and recommends taking the Xavier Musketeers to pick up the win and cover the spread as -6.5 point betting favorites. Although Xavier as a team is just 171st in overall shooting percentage, we see their offense putting together a strong performance against the Bulldogs’ defense. In addition, the Musketeers have made bettors money who have taken them to cover on the road, as they are 6-4 (last 10). At -6.5 we see there being plenty of value in grabbing the Musketeers to come out on top and cover.