Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 1/7/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Friday, January 7, 2022

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Xavier Musketeers (11-2) are traveling to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday where they will attempt to beat the Butler Bulldogs (8-5).

The Xavier Musketeers faced Villanova and went home with a loss by a final score of 71-58 in their last game. Xavier walked away from the game having earned a 40.4% field goal percentage (21 out of 52) and knocked down 6 of 23 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Musketeers knocked down 10 of 13 shots for a percentage of 76.9%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 27 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 8 dimes for this contest as well as forcing 7 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In reference to the defense, Xavier let their opponent shoot 49.1% from the field on 27 out of 55 shooting. Villanova totaled 13 assists and had 8 steals in the game. In addition, Villanova grabbed 29 rebounds (4 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Villanova walked away from this one shooting 64.7% when shooting free throws by making 11 of their 17 shots. They also made 6 of 21 tries from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Musketeers walked away with 16 while Villanova accounted for 15 fouls.

Dwon Odom is a guy who was a major factor in the matchup. He finished the game at 75.0% from the field and also totaled 2 assists. He played 22 mins and snagged 1 board. He notched 13 points on 6 out of 8 shooting.

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Xavier heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 11-2 for the campaign. They are averaging 75.5 pts per contest (107th in the country) while connecting on 45.2% from the floor. The Musketeers are connecting on 33.9% on three-point shots (103 of 304) and 71.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Xavier is grabbing 40.9 rebounds per game and has tallied 198 dimes on the year, which is 109th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.1 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 14.6 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Musketeers are forcing 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 18.7 fouls. They concede 30.8% on shots from distance and they are 49th in D-1 in opponents points per game (62.0). The Musketeers are allowing a shooting percentage of 38.7% (304 of 786) and they surrender 32.1 rebounds per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 110th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 149 relinquished this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Butler Bulldogs walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 71-56 when they played Seton Hall. When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, Butler allowed Seton Hall to get 34 in all (7 on the offensive side). They shot 30.4% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 7 out of 23 and finished the game at 18 of 19 at the charity stripe (94.7%). The Bulldogs permitted Seton Hall to knock down 23 out of their 56 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.1% for this contest. At the conclusion of this game, the Bulldogs walked away from this one shooting 21 out of 51 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.2%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Butler knocked down 6 out of 25 tries (24.0%). They were able to bury 8 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 66.7%. Seton Hall was called for 15 fouls for this contest which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for 12 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. The Bulldogs pulled down 18 defensive boards and 2 offensive boards totaling 20 in this matchup.

Bryce Golden ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in this matchup. He converted 7 out of 9 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 77.8%, and had 4 rebounds. He tallied 19 points in his 31 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Butler has a mark of 8-5 for the season. As an offense, the Bulldogs are hitting on 42.7% from the floor, which ranks them 256th in the country. Butler has accounted for 816 pts for the campaign (62.8 per game) and they grab 32.0 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.1 times per contest (275th in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 13.6 times per contest. The Bulldogs are committing 15.7 fouls every game and they connect on 68.9% from the free throw line.

The Butler defense concedes 30.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (88 of 290) and opponents are connecting on 67.8% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 11.2 assists and 31.5 rebounds every game, which is 91st and 58th in college hoops. The Bulldogs on the defensive side of the court are 30th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 60.8. They have forced 13.2 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.5% from the floor (139th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Xavier

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