NCAAB Odds, Pick for Butler vs Marquette

No. 11 Marquette and Butler meet at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night for a Big East matchup between two teams looking to get back on track.

The Golden Eagles rolled into conference play with just two losses, but have dropped two of their first four since. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have dropped three straight since beating Georgetown in their Big East opener.

For coach Thad Matta’s team, this has been a very difficult part of the schedule. However, that has been a consistent theme for the Bulldogs this year.

On the season, Butler’s schedule ranks in the top 50, per Kenpom, and the Bulldogs have already battled five Quad 1 opponents on the season.

Matta’s squad has gone winless against the top opposition, but there are still some solid victories on the resume. The two notable wins are over Boise State and Texas Tech, while the Bulldogs also took down Penn State.

Another positive for Matta is the fact that he has four players averaging double figures on the season, headlined by Pierre Brooks. The junior leads the team in scoring (16.5 PPG) and also averages 4.3 rebounds per game.

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After winning the conference a season ago, Shaka Smart has another talented team that can make a run in March.

Of the teams in the top 100 in the NET, no team has played more Quad 1 foes and only Purdue, Arizona, North Carolina and Rutgers match Marquette’s seven.

Even through the difficult opposition, the Golden Eagles continue to dominate at home, winning their past 19 at the Fiserv Forum.

Meanwhile, Marquette’s 20-game winning streak in Big East play is tied for the longest in league history, and the team is a combined 37-4 at home under Smart.

Marquette is coming off a disappointing loss at Seton Hall over the weekend, and Smart’s team has done a great job of rebounding from defeats over the past two years.

So, I like the Golden Eagles to cover the first-half spread, assuming it's at -6.5 or better.

In the three games following a loss this season, this bet would have cashed three times. Additionally, this would have also cashed following each Marquette loss last season.

Meanwhile, I don't like what I’ve seen from Butler early in true road games this season.

The Bulldogs were losing by 12 and only scored 25 points at Michigan State in November. They also allowed 45 points at St. John’s just a few weeks ago and were losing by seven at the break. That followed the loss at Providence, in which Butler was also down at the half.

I expect a response from Marquette in front of the home crowd, especially in the first half.

Pick: Marquette 1H -6.5 or Better

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