The Marquette Golden Eagles (7-13, 2-7 Big East) head into Friday’s Big East game against the Butler Bulldogs (12-7, 3-5 Big East) looking to get a second win in a row. Butler aims to build on two straight victories and solid home form. Both of these teams are below .500 in Big East play so far this season and will try to get a win to help themselves in the league standings as February approaches. Here, I break down this contest and bring you my Marquette vs Butler prediction in college hoops.
Pick: | Butler -7.5 ATS PRO |
Confidence: | 2/5 |
Butler welcomes Marquette after a strong 87-80 victory over DePaul in which Finley Bizjack scored 24 points and the Bulldogs shot nearly 57% from the field. That was their second-best shooting performance of the season. Butler enters this game with solid home numbers, going 8-3 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, and ranks high in rebounding within the Big East. The Bulldogs are anchored by Michael Ajayi’s consistent presence on the boards. Bizjack, a key offensive catalyst, ranks second in the conference in scoring and is an efficient free-throw shooter, making his late-game production a crucial factor for Butler’s success in the last two games.
Marquette is coming off an emotional 105-104 overtime win over Providence. Nigel James Jr. exploded for 38 points and eight assists in that contest, showcasing his ability to take over offensively. Chase Ross has also been a reliable scorer, averaging over 15 points per game. Despite that, Marquette has struggled to find consistency and has a 2-7 record in conference play. The Eagles have yet to win a true road game for the year and they will try to rectify that in this matchup.
Score Projection: Marquette 73 – Butler 83 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Marquette 26%, Butler 74% ATS PRO
Friday’s Big East showdown appears to favor Butler as the more complete and statistically consistent team. Marquette’s offense has the potential to be dangerous going into this matchup, but they have also yet to win a game on the road this season. I expect that trend to continue here and for the Bulldogs to get a third consecutive win.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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