Butler Bulldogs vs Seton Hall Pirates Prediction, 1/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Butler Bulldogs vs Seton Hall Pirates

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Butler (+8.5)

The Seton Hall Pirates (7-4) play the Butler Bulldogs (2-4) at Prudential Center on Saturday. Seton Hall opens this game as 8.5-point favorites. The over/under opens at 138.

Butler will play this contest with a record of 2-4 for the year. They are averaging 65.0 points per game (290th in the country) while shooting 42.0% from the floor. The Bulldogs are connecting on 34.5% on shots from beyond the arc (41 of 119) and 61.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Butler is grabbing 33.0 boards per game and is sitting with 69 assists on the year, which ranks 266th in the nation in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.8 personal fouls per game. When they are on defense, the Bulldogs are able to force 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 18.2 personal fouls. They give up 39.1% from 3-point land and they rank 191st in D-1 in PPG allowed (71.0). The Bulldogs are giving up a shooting percentage of 50.2% (160 of 319) and they concede 30.7 boards per contest as a group. They rank 187th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 96 surrendered this season.

The Butler Bulldogs played the Providence Friars and took a loss by a final of 71-55 in their last game. Butler finished having earned a 34.4% FG percentage (21 of 61) and knocked down 7 of their 26 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs converted 6 of their 10 shots for a rate of 60.0%. When talking about rebounding, they collected 28 with 12 of them being offensive. They also distributed 10 dimes in this matchup as well as earning 4 steals and 4 rejections. In reference to the defense, Butler allowed the other team to go 34.4% from the field on 21 of 61 shooting. Providence dished out 18 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. Furthurmore, the Friars grabbed 30 rebounds (4 offensive, 26 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Providence ended up going 75.0% at the free throw line by making 9 of 12 shots. They knocked down 6 out of their 13 attempts from distance.

Jair Bolden is a player who was a factor for this contest. He accounted for 15 points on 4 out of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 34 mins and pulled down 3 rebounds. Bolden ended up going 30.8% from the field and totaled 2 assists. Another guy that played a role in the matchup for the Bulldogs was Chuck Harris. He collected 3 rebounds and also accounted for 3 dimes. He finished the game at 27.3% from the field for this game by shooting 3-of-11 (10 points). When all was said and done, Harris was on the court for 35 min.

Seton Hall has a record of 7-4 for the year. Seton Hall has totaled 852 points this year (77.5 per contest) and they snag 35.7 boards per contest. The Pirates are responsible for committing 16.1 fouls every game while shooting 73.4% from the charity stripe. On the offensive side of the ball, the Pirates are hitting on 46.3% from the floor, which has them ranked 125th in college basketball. They are assisting teammates 14.6 times per contest (120th in D-1) and they turn the ball over 12.7 times per contest. The Pirates are ranked 181st in college hoops in points given up per game with 70.6. They have forced 12.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.4% from the floor (176th in college hoops). The Seton Hall defense concedes 33.5% on 3-point attempts (76 of 227) and their opponents are knocking down 73.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.0 dimes and 35.9 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 173rd and 197th in D-1.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Seton Hall Pirates got the victory with a final of 85-68 when they faced the Xavier Musketeers. The Pirates recorded 31 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 40 for the game. They also stuffed 3 shots while recording 3 steals for the matchup. The Musketeers were called for 14 fouls in this game which got the Pirates to the charity stripe for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 100.0%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Seton Hall converted 7 of their 23 attempts (30.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Pirates finished shooting 32 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 52.5%. The Pirates allowed the Musketeers to make 28 of 65 attempts from the field which had them shooting 43.1% in this contest. They went 20.8% from three-point range via 5 out of 24 and finished the game at 7 of 11 at the charity stripe (63.6%). When discussing rebounding, Seton Hall permitted Xavier to grab 28 in total (9 offensive).

Sandro Mamukelashvili ended up being a factor for the Pirates for the contest. He converted 5 out of 12 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 41.7%, which got him 18 points. Mamukelashvili snagged 7 rebounds in his 32 mins played and had 2 assists in the matchup. One more player that ended up playing a role for Seton Hall was Jared Rhoden. He notched 14 points in his 34 minutes on the court by way of 5 out of 9 shooting for the matchup. Rhoden walked away from this one going 55.6% from the floor as well as contributing 2 assists and 8 total rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Seton Hall (-8.5)

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