The Butler Bulldogs take on the UConn Huskies in Hartford, CT. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
UConn is favored by -15.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2000. The total is set at 149.5 points.
Here’s my Butler vs. UConn predictions and college basketball picks for December 16, 2025.
Butler vs UConn Prediction
My Pick: UConn -15.5 or Better
My Butler vs UConn best bet is on the Huskies to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Butler vs. UConn Odds
| Butler Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+15.5 -110 | 149.5 -110 / -110 | +1000 |
| UConn Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-15.5 -110 | 149.5 -110 / -110 | -2000 |
- Butler vs UConn spread: UConn -15.5
- Butler vs UConn over/under: 149.5 points
- Butler vs UConn moneyline: Butler +1000, UConn -2000
Butler vs UConn College Basketball Betting Preview
With college football paring down to the playoff field, the landscape opens for college hoops to take center stage. With perfect timing, the battles of conference play have arrived, ready to test teams after the first month and a half of the season.
The Butler Bulldogs are in for a test, traveling to face Connecticut, winners of six straight and now the favorites to win the Big East this season.
Butler Basketball
It's a real pivot point in the second Thad Matta era at Butler. The Bulldogs haven't made the NCAA Tournament in Matta's first three years back in Indianapolis, but they've impressed so far this season.
The schedule has fairly soft, though wins over South Carolina and Virginia on neutral courts will be helpful on the resume in a few months.
Matta's team is driven by its two stars. Michael Ajayi has been excellent after a down sophomore season last year for Gonzaga. As a Zag, he got lost in the rotation at times. Here at Butler, he's a focal point. Ajayi is not just scoring — he's adding 11.9 rebounds per game.
That mark leads Big East players, and he's 20th nationally in defensive rebounding rate, remarkable for a 6-foot-7 forward.
Butler is led in scoring by junior guard Finley Bizjack, a rarity in modern college hoops having now gone three years without visiting the transfer portal. Bizjack gets better each season and looks like one of the premier scorers in the Big East.
Butler was expected to have a third major contributor in Jalen Jackson, who led the Horizon League in scoring at Purdue Fort Wayne last season. He recently had surgery on his ankle, sidelining him for the rest of this season.
Unlike UConn, Butler isn't beginning its Big East schedule in this outing. The Bulldogs did so on Saturday, needing two overtimes to survive a plucky Providence team. Bizjack and Ajayi combined for 54 points in that game, despite a combined 3-of-14 shooting performance from outside the arc.
UConn Basketball
Last season, UConn held the weight of being two-time reigning national champions, hitting some bumps in the road before earning an eight-seed and giving eventual national champion Florida it's toughest test in the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32.
Half of the players in Danny Hurley's rotation from that team departed. This season's Huskies rank in the top-20 nationally in both minutes retained from last season and Division I experience. Key pieces like Solo Ball and Alex Karaban remain productive and central to Hurley's offensive attack.
The transfer portal resulted in two key finds as well. Silas Demary Jr. scored 14 points per game for Georgia last season, while Malachi Smith posted 11 points and five assists for Dayton.
Add in freshman big man Eric Reibe, and UConn's roster is both talented and well-crafted.
This is a team that can win inside and out, by outscoring you or stopping you, or playing fast or slow.
UConn has shown that this season, playing the sixth-hardest schedule thus far by NET. The Huskies have played six of their 11 non-conference games against KenPom's top 50, five of those against teams ranked 17th or higher.
The lone Huskies loss in that sample came at the hands of undefeated juggernaut Arizona, in a game UConn led in the final two minutes.
UConn has proven itself as the class of the Big East as conference play begins.
Butler vs. UConn Betting Analysis
Hey, Butler. Congrats on gritting out that two overtime win on Saturday. Your prize is a trip to red-hot UConn with just 48 hours to prepare.
That's a tall task given how well UConn is currently playing. The Huskies have won six straight and have only boarded an airplane once all season. This team is rolling and fresh for Big East play.
It would be hard to say the same for Butler, with Bizjack and Ajayi each playing 44 minutes on Saturday.
The Huskies have tons of bodies to throw at Matta's two stars and should be primed to slow down Butler's offense.
On the other end, UConn has too many answers for a Butler defense that's been spotty at times this season.
My Pick: UConn -15.5 or Better
