Butler at Providence Lines, Betting Pick & TV Info

No. 22 Butler still has an outside shot at winning or tying for the Big East regular-season title, but those hopes will totally vanish on Saturday if the Bulldogs lose at unranked Providence. The Friars are going to miss the NCAA Tournament but every win helps their NIT hopes. PC is likely to be a small favorite on NCAAB lines.

Butler at Providence Lines, Betting Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Feb. 11, 4 PM ET Where: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence TV: CBS Sports Network Stream: CBSSports.com Radio: Butler / Providence Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA

Why Bet On Butler?

The Bulldogs (19-5) edged Marquette 68-65 on Tuesday. Seniors Andrew Chrabascz, Avery Woodson and Tyler Lewis led the way. Chrabascz scored eight consecutive Butler points in the closing five minutes, stretching a 58-55 lead to 66-58. He finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Woodson scored 17 points, his most as a Butler player, including 15 in the first half. He started for the second time since Dec. 7. Lewis broke a tie and put the Bulldogs ahead for good, hitting a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer for a 58-53 lead. In 30 minutes off the bench, he finished with eight points and five assists. He was 2-of- 2 on 3s – making him 10-of- 16 (.625) over nine games. Butler won largely without Kelan Martin, the team scoring leader (16.3). He sat out the first half and finished with one point in 10 minutes. He was 0-of- 3 from the field, lowering his Big East percentage to .362. “I’m really proud of our guys,” said coach Chris Holtmann. “Marquette is an NCAA Tournament team. We knew we needed to be on point tonight. Our seniors carried us. The time of year can demand more of your seniors, especially when you face adversity. We had some hard, physical practices over the last week and we knew at some point, there were going to be returns on that hard work.” In Monday’s RPI rankings released by the NCAA, the Bulldogs come in at No. 13. Butler has a record of 14-3 against teams currently ranked in the RPI Top 100. Butler owns wins against six teams that were ranked in the Top 25 or received votes in either national poll this week. On the season, the Bulldogs are averaging only 10.0 turnovers per game. That mark is fourth nationally. Butler’s turnover margin of +3.8 leads the Big East and is 13th nationally. Butler is 10-2 this season when committing 10 or fewer turnovers.

Why Bet On Providence?

The Friars (14-11) lost to Seton Hall 72-70 in overtime on Wednesday. The Friars jumped out to a 27-12 lead, using their speed and athleticism to make plays on the fast break and finish around the rim. But with the home court advantage on their side, the Pirates settled down and battled back into it. In the second half, the Seton Hall battled back and took the lead a few times. The Pirates never led by more than four points. Trailing 60-59, Rodney Bullock hit a jumper with 43 seconds left to give PC a 61-60 lead. Ten seconds later, Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriquez was fouled. He made one of two free throws to force a 61-61 tie. The Friars had one more shot for the win but could not get off a shot as they committed a shot clock violation and the game went into overtime. In OT, Seton Hall outscored the Friars 11-9. SHU’s Myles Powell broke the 70-70 tie when he made a layup with nine seconds left. The Friars then drove the ball to the offensive end and Kyron Cartwright took a jumper but it did not fall and the Pirates escaped with a two-point overtime win. In addition to Bullock’s 19 points, Emmitt Holt added 14 points and Cartwright had 13 points and five assists, Jalen Lindsey scored eight points and had a team high12 rebounds. Providence looks to avoid the season sweep as it lost at Butler 78-61 on New Year’s Day. The Bulldogs made 16 of 22 field goal attempts, shooting 72 percent in the first half. Thirteen of the Bulldogs’ 26 field goals were scored off of an assist, and Butler outrebounded Providence 30 to 26. Martin led Butler with 15 points. Butler shot 62 percent and its bench outscored PC’s 29-5. Cartwright scored 26 points and Bullock added 17 for Providence.

Butler at Providence Betting Pick: Providence Friars

I like Providence in a small upset here in NCAA betting.