Butler Bulldogs vs Providence Friars Prediction, 12/30/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Butler Bulldogs vs Providence Friars

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Location: Alumni Hall in Providence, RI

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Butler (+4.5)

The Butler Bulldogs (2-3) travel to Alumni Hall on Wednesday where they'll take on the Providence Friars (6-3). Butler opens this contest as 4.5-point dogs. The total opens at 138.5.

Butler enters this contest with a mark of 2-3 for the year. They have an average of 67.0 pts per contest (271st in the country) while going 43.8% from the floor. The Bulldogs are shooting 36.6% on shots from distance (34 of 93) and 61.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Butler is collecting 33.2 boards per contest and has accounted for 59 assists this year, which has them ranked 287th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.6 times per game and as a squad are committing 17.8 personal fouls per game. On the defensive end, the Bulldogs have forced 11.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.0 fouls. They rank 125th in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 78 surrendered this year. The Bulldogs defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 48.7% (132 of 271) and they relinquish 30.4 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are giving up 38.2% on 3-point shots and they rank 191st in college basketball in points per game allowed (71.0).

The Butler Bulldogs faced off with the Providence Friars and took home the win by a score of 70-64 in their last game. Butler wrapped up the game with a 45.6% field goal percentage (26 of 57) and buried 5 out of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 13 of 23 attempts for a rate of 56.5%. With respect to getting rebounds, they collected 35 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 13 assists for the matchup while getting 7 steals and 2 rejections. In terms of defense, Butler allowed their opponent to shoot 45.6% from the floor on 26 of 57 shooting. Providence distributed 15 assists and had 3 steals for the game. Moreover, the Friars grabbed 31 rebounds (9 offensive, 22 defensive) and added 2 rejections. Providence walked away from this one shooting 80.0% from the free throw line by burying 8 of 10 tries. They also converted 4 out of their 26 tries from distance.

JaKobe Coles is a guy who played a role in the matchup. He recorded 14 points on 4 of 5 shooting. He saw the court for 14 mins and pulled down 3 rebounds. Coles ended up shooting 80.0% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. An additional guy that had an impact in the matchup for the Bulldogs was Jair Bolden. He pulled down 5 rebounds and also accumulated 2 assists. He walked away from this one shooting 33.3% from the floor for the game by connecting on 4-of-12 (11 points). Overall, Bolden was on the court for 38 min.

Providence has a record of 6-3 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Friars are connecting on 45.3% from the floor, which has them ranked 161st in D-1. Providence has accumulated 686 points on the year (76.2 per game) and they pull in 35.6 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.2 times per game (142nd in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.8 times per contest. The Friars are committing 18.1 personal fouls every game while shooting 73.1% from the free throw line. The Friars on the defensive end are ranked 234th in D-1 in PPG given up with 73.2. The Providence defense surrenders 34.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (60 of 174) and their opponents are knocking down 71.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 12.7 assists and 34.4 rebounds per game, which is ranked 163rd and 138th in those categories. They have forced 13.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.4% from the field (259th in the country).

The last time they took the court, the Providence Friars took home the win by a final score of 95-90 when they played the DePaul Blue Demons. The Friars corralled 31 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 43 in the game. They blocked 2 attempts while recording 11 steals for the game. The Blue Demons committed 22 fouls in this contest which took the Friars to the free throw line for a total of 31 attempts. They were able to make 23 of those for a rate of 74.2%. When it comes to shots from 3-point land, Providence knocked down 6 of 23 attempts (26.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Friars shot 33 for 78 from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.3%. The Friars permitted the Blue Demons to convert 37 out of 76 tries from the field which had them sitting at 48.7% for the matchup. They finished 41.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 10 out of 24 and ended up shooting 6 of 8 from the free throw line (75.0%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Providence allowed DePaul to get 38 in total (7 offensive).

David Duke ended up being a factor for the Friars in this game. He converted 8 of 17 for the game for a field goal percentage of 47.1%, which had him sitting at 24 points. Duke pulled down 5 rebounds in his 49 minutes and totaled 6 assists for the game. Someone else that played a role for Providence was A.J. Reeves. He finished with 22 points in his 40 minutes played via 6 of 13 shooting in the game. Reeves ended the game having shot 46.2% from the floor in addition to totaling 2 assists and 5 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Providence (-4.5)

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