Sean Barnard details his pick and prediction for the Butler Bulldogs vs. Georgetown Hoyas college basketball matchup.

A Big East battle is on the slate tonight as the Butler Bulldogs face off with the Georgetown Hoyas.

These teams faced off once already this season, with this being played on January 31st. Georgetown produced a 77-64 victory in this matchup on the road. This matchup will now return to the Hoyas home-court as Butler attempts to even the season series.

Looking at the odds, Georgetown enters as a 6.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Butler holds +205 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 147.5.

Butler vs. Georgetown preview

The Butler Bulldogs hold a 13-13 record on the season, and are 4-11 in Big East Conference play. They are looking to snap a six-game losing streak, with all six losses coming by 10 points or greater. On the season, Butler has gone 12-14 against the spread, and the game total is 13-12-1 to the over/under.

Thad Matta’s squad is scoring 79.7 points per game, which ranks 103rd in the country. Butler also ranks 129th in offensive rating, 196th in team field goal percentage, and 209th in three-point percentage. On the defensive side of the ball, opponents are scoring 76.8 points per game against the Bulldogs, which ranks 260th in the country. Butler also ranks 229th in defensive rating, 259th in team field goal percentage, and 163rd in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed.

Finley Bizjack leads the scoring production for Butler, posting averages of 17.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds, while shooting 36.4% on three-point attempts. Michael Ajayi leads the Big East with 11.3 rebounds per game, along with 15.7 points and 3.2 assists, as the lone other player averaging in double figures. Jamie Kaiser, Evan Haywood, Yohan Traore, and Drayton Jones also play key roles in the rotation.

The Georgetown Hoyas hold a 13-12 record and have gone 5-9 in Big East play. They are coming off back-to-back losses against UConn and Villanova, but had won four consecutive games before this. On the season, Georgetown is 10-15 against the spread, and the game total has gone over in 14 of their 25 games played.

Ed Cooley’s group is scoring 75.3 points per game, which ranks 202nd among the 365 D1 teams. Georgetown also ranks 167th in offensive rating, 273rd in team field goal percentage, and 224th in team three-point percentage. On the defensive end, opponents are scoring 73.2 points per game against the Hoyas, which ranks 165th in the country. Georgetown also ranks 208th in defensive rating, 105th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 190th in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed.

KJ Lewis is the team’s leading scorer at 15.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a Big East-leading 2.3 steals per game. Malik Mack adds 14.2 points and 4.2 assists, while launching a team-leading 5.8 perimeter shots per game. Vincent Iwuchukwu is the lone other player averaging in double figures, averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. Julius Halaifonua and Caleb Williams combined for 18.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while Isaiah Abraham and Jeremiah Williams also play key roles.

Butler vs. Georgetown pick, best bet

Neither of these teams is in the midst of the season they desire. My lean is toward Georgetown getting a victory and covering the 6.5-point spread. They were able to cover this number in the first matchup, and the pathway to them repeating this is clear. However, Georgetown is just 3-10 straight up when playing at home this season and 2-7 against the spread as a home favorite.

Rather than back a side, I am taking the game total to remain under the 147.5 line. Injuries will be a factor in this game with both sides a little banged up. Neither of these offenses is elite at full strength, and if any of the top performers are limited, the outlook will be even more difficult. For Butler, Azavier Robinson and Jalen Jackson are out for the season, while leading scorer Finley Bizjack is questionable. For Georgetown, Langston Love and DeShawn Harris-Smith are each questionable for the matchup.

In the first matchup between these two teams, the final score finished 77-64, or a 141-point game total. This was despite Georgetown shooting 55% from the field and 50% on three-point attempts, well above their 43.7% and 33.3% season averages.

Both these teams put forth respectable offensive performances in the first matchup and still fell short of this total. Heading into the second game between them, it would not shock me if the game total falls under what they scored in the first game and well short of the 147.5 line. Expect both these teams to have some offensive struggles and for this scoring total to be too ambitious for the context of this matchup.

Best Bet: Game Total Under 147.5 (-110)