Before we get to March Madness, there is still a lot of basketball to be played, much of which will be conference games that will have a huge impact on final seeding and who makes it into the tournament. We will have the regular season first, followed by the conference tournaments, so a lot of teams are going to become very familiar with one another over the course of the next couple of months. Some conferences will play out quite easily and see teams separate from the pack quite quickly, while others will see major battles that take the final regular season standings all the way down to the wire.

The Big East looks as though it might fall into the latter category, as every team in that conference is currently sitting on double-digit wins. We really need the conference schedule to kick in to start seeing these teams separate. We are getting that on Friday night, with the Butler Bulldogs heading into Providence to face the Friars in Big East Conference action. Butler are in as a 2-point road favorite, with the point total for this one set at 126 ½.

Butler vs Providence 2020 College Basketball Odds, Game Info & Prediction

• When: Friday, January 10 at 9 PM EST
• Where: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence
• TV: FS1
• Radio: SiriusXM
• Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
• College Basketball Odds: Butler -2 (Total 126.5)

Why bet on the Butler Bulldogs?

The Butler Bulldogs have very quietly worked their way up to the #6 seed in the nation with a 13-1 record this season. They are perhaps a little unlucky not to be sitting with a perfect record right now, as their lone loss of the year came at the hands of the #11 ranked Baylor Bears in a 53-52 game that really could have gone either way.

Since that road loss, they have reeled off 5 straight wins, including going 2-0 in their 2 Big East games to this point. They are, though, about to run into a bit of a bogey team, as the Bulldogs have gone just 1-5 SU and ATS in their last 6 meetings with the Friars. Overall, though, this is a team that has covered the spread in 6 of their last 8 games, so don’t rule them out here.

Team Stats

Offense

• Total Score: 68.73
• Field Goal Percentage: 47.36
• Three-Point Percentage: 35.67
• Free Throw Percentage: 70.54
• Total Rebounds: 34.87

Defense

• Total Score: 54.13
• Field Goal Percentage: 37.22
• Three-Point Percentage: 26.38
• Free Throw Percentage: 64.32
• Total Rebounds: 28.47

Why bet on the Providence Friars?

At 10-6 on the season, it would be altogether too easy to write off the Providence Friars ahead of this one, but this is a team that appears to have come to life in conference play, getting things started with a perfect 3-0 record. After getting blown out by Florida a couple of weeks back, Providence has found their feet again quite quickly, reeling off 4 straight wins after that 83-51 loss.

This is a team that has made the most of their time on home court, winning 7 of the last 8 games played in their own building. They have been a good bet against the spread in the last 5 overall, going 4-1 ATS in those games, although it should be noted that they are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Friday games.

Team Stats

Offense

• Total Score: 73.00
• Field Goal Percentage: 41.73
• Three-Point Percentage: 33.61
• Free Throw Percentage: 65.70
• Total Rebounds: 39.50

Defense

• Total Score: 66.13
• Field Goal Percentage: 40.84
• Three-Point Percentage: 32.74
• Free Throw Percentage: 69.06
• Total Rebounds: 37.19

Butler vs Providence 2020 College Basketball Betting Trends

• Bulldogs are 14-1 SU in their last 15 games this season
• Bulldogs are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against an opponent in the Big East conference
• The total has gone OVER in 8 of Butler’s last 11 games played in January
• Friars are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games this season
• Friars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played on a Friday
• The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Providence’s last 12 games against Butler

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Butler vs Providence

This is a very tough one to call and is basically a bit of a toss-up. The Butler Bulldogs have been great this season, but they have historically struggled against the Friars. I am sticking with the Bulldogs here, though in a close one.

Score: Butler Bulldogs 69 – Providence Friars 68