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The Butler Bulldogs host the UConn Huskies in a Big East showdown at Hinkle Fieldhouse this Friday night. The Huskies are the defending champions and the favorites to win this match. The Bulldogs will be looking to end a two-match losing streak. But against an in-form Huskies, that won’t be easy. We look ahead to the match and tell you who will win in our NCAAB betting picks.
- What; 2023/24 NCAA Men’s Basketball
- Who; Butler Bulldogs vs. Connecticut Huskies
- Where; Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
- When; Friday, January 5th 2024
- Time; 6.30 pm ET
Both these teams need the win for differing reasons. The hosts, Butler, are on a two-match losing streak. They also sit seventh in the Big East with a 1-2 record. As for the visitors, they are one of the favorites to win the Big East and also one of the favorites to win the 2024 Championship match.
The Huskies are second in the conference table with a 2-1 record. Villanova leads the way with a 3-0 record. UConn can’t afford to slip further behind. And they will also be wary of the presence of Marquette, who also sits on a 2-1 conference record (as do Providence, St John’s, and Seton Hall).
Latest betting to win the Big East
But according to the best college basketball betting sites, Marquette is the team that poses the main danger to UConn. The Golden Eagles are the joint favorites to win the Big East. Along with the Huskies, Marquette is +200 to top the conference table. In what looks like a tight betting contest, Villanova is third in the betting at +325.
Elsewhere in the betting to win the Big East, Creighton is +750, Providence is +1200, and St John’s is +2500. Butler is +4000 to shock the basketball world and win the Big East.
Betting to win the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
BetOnline still has the Purdue Boilermakers as their +900 favorites to win the 2024 NCAA Basketball Championship. The Boilermakers are followed by the Arizona Wildcats in the betting at +1000, with UConn and Houston following closely at +1200.
Kansas and Marquette are both +1400, with Kentucky and BYU sitting on +1800.
The odds of winning the championship can vary from bookmaker to bookmaker. Some favor Arizona, and some the Boilermakers. And it’s also better to shop around for the best odds for your preferred pick. For example, BetUS has Purdue at +850. Most others have them at +900.
Butler Bulldogs vs. UConn Huskies Match Betting
Time to look at the latest NCAAB betting lines on the Big East matchup. Some bookmakers are offering odds on the money line, and some aren’t (at the time of writing). Of those offering odds, UConn is -260 with Bovada, with Butler at +210.
On the handicap spread, Butler has the advantage. The Bulldogs are getting a 6.5-point start from the bookmakers. To win with the spread, Butler is -110 with the majority of bookmakers and -105 with BetOnline. The Huskies are -115 to win and cover the spread with BetOnline and -110 elsewhere.
The total points spread is 143.5. Over and under are both -110. More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAA basketball betting sites.
| Butler Bulldogs vs. Connecticut Huskies |  |  |  |
| Butler | +210 | N/A | N/A |
| UConn | -260 | N/A | N/A |
| Butler (+6.5) | -110 | -105 | -110 |
| UConn (-6.5) | -110 | -115 | -110 |
| Over 143.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 143.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Butler vs. UConn; Latest Form
The Bulldogs have an overall record of 10-4 this season. They are currently on a losing streak of two. Before that, the Bulldogs won seven in a row. The defeats will hurt though. They were both conference losses against teams they would have expected to do better against.
The first was an 85-75 away defeat to Providence before Christmas. The most recent was an 86-70 defeat to St John’s at the Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday.
That's a @BIGEAST DUB ✊✊ pic.twitter.com/UAsScbCSss
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 3, 2024
UConn are 12-2 this season. In their most recent fixture, they made light work of the DePaul Blue Demons, winning 85-56 at the Gampel Pavilion at the beginning of the week. The win was their second in succession after their shock loss to Seton Hall (75-60) just before Christmas.
The Huskies’ only other loss this season came away to the Kansas Jayhawks at the start of December. On that occasion, the Huskies went down 69-65 at the Allen Fieldhouse.
Butler Bulldogs vs. UConn Huskies Betting Picks
As the betting suggests, this looks set to be a close match. Butler is 8-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season. UConn hasn’t won on the road yet this season. Both their trips out of Connecticut have ended in defeat. But, in seven matches against the Bulldogs, UConn has never lost.
The Bulldogs will no doubt see this as a great chance to snap their losing streak against the Huskies. But with Cam Spencer in top form (he produced a match-winning 20-point performance against DePaul earlier this week), the Bulldogs will have their work cut out.
The Bulldogs were also well beaten at St John’s on Tuesday. Okay, it was on the road, but the spread was +6.5, and they lost by 16 (86-70). Not great preparation ahead of such a big match.
Butler does have a performance in them, and with home-court advantage, they may well turn over the Huskies. But we feel we have to stick with UConn and make them our pick to win the match and cover the spread.
If you want an alternative pick, then over 143.5 points looks the best call on the total points market and is a good bet at -110.
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