Butler Bulldogs vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Butler Bulldogs vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Houston Cougars (4-3) are welcoming the Butler Bulldogs (7-1) at Fertitta Center on Saturday.

The Butler Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against Eastern Illinois and walked away with a win by a score of 73-58 in their last contest. Butler finished the game having earned a 52.3% field goal percentage (23 of 44) and made 7 of 20 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs buried 20 of 25 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. In regard to hauling in rebounds, they collected 39 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 14 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 2 steals. In reference to defending, Butler allowed the other team to go 32.8% from the field on 21 out of 64 shooting. Eastern Illinois doled out 10 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, Eastern Illinois grabbed 22 boards (7 offensive, 15 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Eastern Illinois went 61.5% at the charity stripe by burying 8 of 13 attempts. They converted 8 out of their 20 shots from beyond the arc. In relation to fouls, the Bulldogs left the arena with 14 and Eastern Illinois finished the game with 23 fouls.

Jahmyl Telfort is someone who had an impact in the matchup. He scored 20 points on 5 of 6 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and grabbed 6 boards. He finished 83.3% from the floor and totaled 3 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Betting Picks

Butler enters this matchup with a mark of 7-1 on the year. They have an average of 76.6 points per contest (175th in D-1) while shooting 47.8% from the field. The Bulldogs are shooting 41.8% on three-point attempts (71 of 170) and 77.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Butler is snagging 39.6 boards per game and has accounted for 118 dimes this season, which has them ranked 185th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 14.3 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 15.1 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Bulldogs are forcing their opponents into 8.1 turnovers per game while drawing 21.4 fouls. They give up 26.5% on shots from distance and they are 34th in college hoops in opponents points per game (63.9). The Bulldogs defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 36.1% (187 of 518) and they relinquish 31.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are 24th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 77 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Houston Cougars took a defeat with a final score of 73-70 when they played San Diego State. The Cougars corralled 21 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards totaling 36 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 12 times, while earning 1 steal for this contest. San Diego State committed 15 fouls for the game which took the Cougars to the free throw line for 17 tries. They were able to convert 13 of the free throws for a percentage of 76.5%. When it comes to three-point shots, Houston converted 11 out of 24 attempts (45.8%). Overall, the Cougars shot 23 for 62 from the field which had them shooting 37.1%. The Cougars permitted San Diego State to bury 23 of 57 attempts from the floor which had them at 40.4% in this game. They finished 36.0% from distance by going 9 out of 25 and ended up going 18 of 27 from the free throw line (66.7%). When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, Houston allowed San Diego State to pull down 31 in all (10 on the offensive side).

Emanuel Sharp ended up being important for the Cougars for the contest. He earned 23 points in his 36 mins of playing time and added 1 assist in the matchup. He knocked down 5 of 15 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Houston has a mark of 4-3 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Cougars are shooting 44.6% from the field, which is ranked 207th in college basketball. Houston has accounted for 552 points this season (78.9 per game) and they average 38.3 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.1 times per game (181st in the nation) and they are turning it over 8.9 times per contest. The Cougars commit 18.0 personal fouls every game and they hit 73.3% from the free throw line.

The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 12th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 59.3. They have forced 15.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 37.2% from the floor (18th in college basketball). The Houston defense allows 30.8% on three-point shots (52 of 169) and their opponents are knocking down 69.9% of their free throw shots. They have given up 10.7 dimes and 34.1 total boards per game, which ranks them 54th and 156th in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Butler

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here