Seton Hall vs. Butler: Picks, Predictions and Statistics
The #3 Duke Blue Devils were handed their second loss of the season on Tuesday night after falling on the road to Clemson 79-72.
On Wednesday, the best of the Big East do battle as #18 Seton Hall travels to #5 Butler, and Georgetown hosts #25 Creighton.
Here’s a look at today’s NCAA games:
BET OF THE DAY:
Virginia Cavaliers @ #9 Florida State Seminoles (-6), 7:00 PM:
- The Cavaliers have been amongst the worst in the nation ATS ranking second worst in the ACC with a 4-11 ATS record. Florida State has been well above average with a 9-7 ATS record.
- The Seminoles have won 26 of their last 27 games at home. Stat courtesy of Statschecker.
#9 Florida State (14-2) have been one of the hottest teams in college basketball having won seven consecutive games and sit in second place in the ACC standings. The Seminoles defeated Wake Forest 78-68 on Thursday night.
Team-leading scorer Devin Vassell led the way with 17 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals on 50 per cent shooting. Senior guard Trent Forrest added a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
The Virginia Cavaliers (11-4) have looked like a shell of themselves over the last two-and-a-half weeks, dropping three of the last five games. On Saturday, the Cavaliers suffered a 63-55 home overtime loss to the Syracuse Orange.
Virginia struggled to get any offense going, shooting 31 per cent from the field and 23 per cent from three-point range. Junior forward Jay Huff was the lone bright spot, posting a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting.
Although the Cavaliers on paper have the best defense in the nation allowing (48.7 ppg), the offense is amongst the worst averaging (55.7 ppg). Florida State has been nearly unbeatable at home, and with an offense that averages (76.4 ppg), the Seminoles should do more than enough to take care of the reigning national champions and cover the spread (-6).
2u - Florida State Seminoles (-6) @ -110
#18 Seton Hall Pirates (+5) @ #5 Butler Bulldogs, 6:30 PM:
- Seton Hall and Butler both rank sixth best in the nation with a 124 ATS record.
- Each of the last three meetings between these teams have been decided by two points or fewer. Stat courtesy of Statschecker.
#5 Butler (15-1) has been impressive so far this season to say the least having won six in a row, and their only loss came on the road at the hands of the nation’s top team Baylor by one point.
The Bulldogs efficiently took down Providence 70-58 on Friday night as the team shot over 50 per cent from both the field and three-point range. Senior guard Kamar Baldwin led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds while junior forward Jordan Tucker came off the bench and contributed 17 points of his own on 7-of-11 shooting.
#18 Seton Hall (12-4) made the biggest jump amongst the Top-25 rankings this week, climbing eight spots from unranked to #18 following a sixth consecutive win.
The Pirates handled Marquette 69-55 on Saturday afternoon as Myles Powell outdueled the nation’s leading scorer Markus Howard. Powell scored 23 points on 8-of-22 shooting with seven rebounds and three steals. The senior guard ranks 12th best in the nation averaging (21.5 ppg).
Seton Hall sits at (4-0) in the Big East standings with Butler sitting a half game behind at (3-0). My expectation is this matchup will be very similar to the three meetings prior and come down to the wire. I’m rolling with the Pirates to keep this game close enough with Powell leading the way.
1u - Seton Hall Pirates (+5) @ -110
#25 Creighton Bluejays @ Georgetown Hoyas (-2.5), 7:00 PM
- The home team has won each of Georgetown’s last eight games. Stats courtesy of Statschecker.
#25 Creighton (13-4) have jumped into the Top-25 rankings for the first time this season after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 77-65 win over Xavier.
The Bluejays showed up defensively, holding the Musketeers to only 19 per cent shooting from three-point range. Offensively, junior guards Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock led the way with 18 and 19 points respectively.
Georgetown (11-6) hung tough but lost for the third time in the last four games, falling on the road to #16 Villanova 80-66.
The Hoyas struggled to guard the Wildcats, allowing them to shoot 47 per cent from the field and over 50 per cent from three-point range. Team-leading scorer Omer Yurtseven had an off game along with the rest of Georgetown, scoring 10 points with seven rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting.
The Bluejays have won each of the last five meetings with the Hoyas by an average win margin of (13.2 ppg). With that said, this seems like a matchup where the numbers may steer you the wrong way as Georgetown has won their last five home games.
These teams mirror each other offensively - the Hoyas average (78.8 ppg) and the Bluejays average (77.1 ppg). My expectation is a high-scoring shootout, and I’m backing the high-scoring home team Georgetown to outlast Creighton.