Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 3/5/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Butler Bulldogs (13-16) are hosting the Xavier Musketeers (19-10) at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

The Xavier Musketeers played Creighton and went home with a win by a final score of 83-61 in their last contest. Xavier walked away from the game with a 55.0% FG percentage (33 of 60) and knocked down 11 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Musketeers converted 6 of their 8 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they compiled 30 with 2 of them being offensive. They also doled out 24 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 10 steals. With regard to the defense, Xavier allowed 44.8% from the floor on 26 out of 58 shooting. Creighton earned 19 assists and had 3 steals in the matchup. Moreover, Creighton grabbed 30 boards (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Creighton ended up going 42.9% when shooting free throws by burying 3 of 7 attempts. They knocked down 6 of their 24 attempts from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Musketeers walked away with 10 and Creighton recorded 10 personal fouls.

Zach Freemantle is one guy who played a role for the game. He ended up going 71.4% from the field and also dished out 3 assists. He was on the hardwood for 30 minutes and snagged 6 rebounds. He notched 23 points on 10 out of 14 shooting.

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Xavier enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 19-10 for the campaign. They average 77.3 points per outing (91st in college) while shooting 46.3% from the field. The Musketeers are shooting 38.7% on shots from beyond the arc (239 of 617) and 79.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, Xavier is pulling down 33.6 boards per contest and has earned 489 assists for the year, which ranks 31st in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.5 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 15.5 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Musketeers are forcing 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 253rd in the nation in giving up assists with 416 conceded on the campaign. The Musketeers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.0% (746 of 1,697) and they surrender 32.7 rebounds per game as a group. They are conceding 32.3% from 3-point land while they are 130th in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (70.1).

For their last game, the Butler Bulldogs took a defeat with a final score of 80-70 against Villanova. The Bulldogs recorded 24 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 for the matchup. They also coughed it up 5 times, while recording 2 steals in this contest. Villanova committed 12 fouls for the matchup which got the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 9 attempts. They were able to knock down 8 of those for a clip of 88.9%. When talking about shooting from distance, Butler converted 10 out of 28 attempts (35.7%). When this game wrapped up, the Bulldogs finished 26 for 65 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.0%. The Bulldogs allowed Villanova to convert 30 out of their 59 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.8% in this contest. They went 42.9% from beyond the arc by shooting 12 of 28 and ended up shooting 8 out of 9 from the free throw line (88.9%). Regarding rebounding, Butler allowed Villanova to pull down 33 overall (4 offensive).

Finley Bizjack pitched in for the Bulldogs for this contest. He made 5 of 13 for the contest giving him a rate of 38.5%, and totaled 3 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 assists for the matchup.

Butler has a win-loss mark of 13-16 for the year. The Bulldogs have committed 14.0 personal fouls per game and they hit 74.2% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 14.2 times per contest (138th in college hoops) and they turn it over 11.4 times per contest. Butler has accounted for 2,153 points this season (74.2 per contest) and they pull down 35.8 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Bulldogs are shooting 45.8% from the floor, which has them ranked 121st in the nation.

The Butler defense concedes 30.8% on shots from distance (207 of 671) and their opponents are making 75.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 13.3 assists and 33.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 198th and 140th in the nation. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 208th in college hoops in PPG given up with 72.8. They are able to force 7.6 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 43.2% from the field (143rd in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Xavier

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