Butler Bulldogs vs. Xavier Musketeers Predictions, Picks, Odds and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – February 26, 2017

Betting on the Butler Bulldogs (22-6, 11-5 Big East)

Point Spread: -1.5

Butler is ending the regular season on a high. After a rocky stretch which saw them lose three out of four, the No. 22-ranked Bulldogs have won three games in a row. They blew out St. John’s and DePaul at home by 26 and 16 points, respectively, and completed the sweep of defending national champion Villanova with a 74-66 win in Philly. Unsurprisingly, they went 3-0 against the spread during that stretch.

Kelan Martin’s resurgence has been instrumental in the team’s win streak. The junior forwad has had a trying season, with his shooting woes forcing head coach Chris Holtmann to move him to the bench. But after a bit of a rocky transition period, he’s averaging 18.3 points on 55 percent shooting, with 8.3 rebounds over his last three games.

Butler will have an excellent opportunity to stretch its win streak to four games against a free-falling Xavier team. Butler already beat Xavier 83-78 at home earlier this season, but the Musketeers will now be without star guard Edmond Sumner, who had a team-high 22 points in that game.

After losing two of their first three conference road games, the Bulldogs have gone 4-1 in their last five.

Betting on the Xavier Musketeers (18-10, 8-7 Big East)

Point Spread: +1.5

Xavier is having a bad end to a disappointing season. The Musketeers have lost four games in a row, which have all but ended a return trip to the NCAA tournament barring an incredible run in the Big East tourney.

Injuries have been a killer for Xavier. They were doing just fine without Edmond Sumner as they won their first three games without him. But then Trevon Bluiett also went down against Villanova, and missed two more games. Unsurprisingly, the Musketeers lost by double-digits in those games. Bluiett did make his return against Seton Hall on Wednesday, but his presence still wasn’t enough to prevent a 71-64 loss.

Xavier has an impressive record against Butler at home. They’re 6-1 straight up and against the spread in seven career meetings in Cincinnati. But even Bluiett’s return likely won’t be enough for the Musketeers to stop their skid. They just haven’t shown they have the firepower to hang with a good team.

Xavier’s horrific record against the spread bears this out. The Musketeers are a miserable 2-11 against the spread in their last 13 games.

Writer’s Prediction

Butler (-1.5) completes the season sweep of Xavier with a 71-64 road win.

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