Free NCAA Hoops Pick: Wildcats vs. Bulldogs CBB Odds
Looking for Villanova Wildcats vs. Butler Bulldogs NCAA basketball free picks & CBB odds? CBB betting sees the Wildcats taking on the Bulldogs on Wednesday February 5 at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all college basketball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily basketball predictions like this Wildcats Bulldogs matchup.
2019-2020 NCAA Basketball
(17-4) Villanova Wildcats vs. Butler Bulldogs (17-5)
Date: Wednesday February 5
Time: 6:30 PM ET
Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
CBB Moneyline Odds: OFF
CBB Betting Odds: Butler -2
CBB Betting Total: 131.5
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Saturday saw the top two Big East teams, Seton Hall and these Villanova Wildcats, fall at home to unranked opponents. This opens the conference right back up, and now it’s anyone’s game!
Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats are coming off of a disastrous home loss to Creighton on Saturday.
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They’re still holding up at #10 in the AP Top 25, and given Seton Hall’s home loss to Xavier, they’re still only a game back of the lead in Big East play.
The Wildcats still run a high-powered offense predicated on shooting a lot of threes. They’re 19th in KenPom adjusted offense, their 3PA/FGA of 46% is 25th in the nation, and they’re hitting the deep ball at a 35% clip. That puts their effective FG% at 52.1%, which ain’t half bad.
‘Nova has some excellent, excellent wins this season. Most notably, a one-point home victory over #3 Kansas (#1 in KenPom adjusted efficiency), and a 15-point home blowout over #19 Butler (#15 in KenPom adjusted efficiency). They also have a nine-point neutral court loss to #1 Baylor (#3 in KenPom adjusted efficiency).
So, they’ve played some really good teams this year.
They’ve also heated up in recent weeks. The Wildcats started the season 3-6-1 ATS, but since their win against the Jayhawks, they are 6-3-1 ATS and 9-2 SU. That’s called flipping the script, folks…
Their attack is led by Junior PG Collin Gillespie, who’s putting up 15 points and 5 assists per game on 42/36/84 shooting splits. Sophomore PF Saddiq Bey is also having a fine year, throwing up 15 points and 5 boards per game on 48/45/78 shooting splits. (It’s worth noting that Bey’s three-point shooting is wicked impressive, as he’s shooting 45% from deep on five attempts per game. Sheesh.)
Butler Bulldogs
Butler just lost at home against Providence. That might be the worst loss of anyone in the Big East on Saturday. Providence is 12-10. Y I K E S.
But the Bulldogs are slipping. They’re 2-4 SU and 1-5 ATS in their last six games, and after starting conference play 3-0, they’ve slipped to 5-4. That stretch includes a rough loss to their opponents today, ‘Nova, where they lost by 15 after being 3.5-point dogs.
Butler does have a really good defense, however. They’re 22nd in KenPom adjusted defense, and their effective FG% against, of 43.7%, is 11th in the country. Additionally, they hold opposing offenses to 43.1% 2pt shooting (19th in the country) and 29.8% 3pt shooting (30th in the country).
Another interesting tidbit about the Bulldogs is that they play at a seriously low pace, as they’re 326th in the country in KenPom adjusted tempo.
Senior PG Kamar Baldwin is Butler’s main man, as he’s averaging 16 points/game this season. However, his shooting splits are concerning, as he’s only shooting 40.9% from the field (bad) and shooting an abysmal 29.8% from deep (really bad).
CBB Betting Trends:
- Under is 9-2 in VILL last 11 overall
- Under is 7-2 in VILL last 9 vs. Big East
- Under is 7-3-1 in VILL last 11 Wednesday games
- Under is 6-0 in VILL last 6 road games
Free Villanova Wildcats vs. Butler Bulldogs NCAAB Prediction: Too tough to pick a side.
This is a very close, very tough matchup. Butler has been slipping, but they’re still second in the Big East conference in terms of KenPom adjusted efficiency. Meanwhile, Villanova continues to roll and they have a legit shot at being a #1 seed in the Big Dance.
If this was at ‘Nova, or even on a neutral court, I would take the Wildcats in this spot. I think they are a better team, and I really don’t want to take Butler in this spot either.
This game is too tough to pick a side. However, the Bulldogs defense, slow pace, and home-court advantage leads me to one conclusion.
This will be a grit-and-grind game, where Butler’s home-court defense will overpower Villanova’s road-court offense. The Wildcat offense will try to shoot a lot of threes, but Butler’s perimeter defense is one of the best in the country, and I think they’ll be able to hold ‘Nova at bay.
Finally, playing at home, the Bulldogs will be able to control the clock and the pace of play. They will force ‘Nova to play their brand of basketball, and that brand of basketball is 326th in the nation in KenPom adjusted tempo and 341st in the nation in average possession length.
Given these conclusions, I expect little-to-no-points.
4* Free CBB Betting Pick: The Under 131.5.
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