North Dakota State vs. Butler prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

12/10/2024 11:26 AM

The Butler Bulldogs (7-2) return home on Tuesday and host the North Dakota State Bison (7-4) in Hinkle Fieldhouse. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a North Dakota State-Butler prediction and pick.

North Dakota State has been up and down early in the year but travels to Indianapolis riding a four-game win streak. The Bison are coming off an 82-70 win over Northern Colorado in a game that tipped off shortly after Butler lost to Houston.

Butler has surprised many with their early season success but is coming off a lopsided loss to No. 17-ranked Houston on Saturday. The loss ended a six-game win streak for the Bulldogs that included a win over No. 25-ranked Mississippi State to win the Arizona Tip-Off.

Here are the North Dakota State-Butler College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel

College Basketball Odds: North Dakota State-Butler Odds

North Dakota State: +13.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +680

Butler: -13.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -1110

Over: 142.5 (-110)

Under: 142.5 (-110)

How to Watch North Dakota State vs. Butler

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT

TV: FS1

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why North Dakota State Will Cover The Spread/Win

While Butler has had their offensive woes at times, they have been solid more often than not on defense. However, they still struggle on the interior, where they are one of the worst teams in the country allowing offensive rebounds — 10.6 per game — and overall field goal attempts with 64.2 shots allowed per game. Butler’s 6-foot-8 center, Augusto Cassia, just does not have the size while his backup, 7-foot-1 Andre Screen, has his own mobility issues.

Butler has mostly been solid in defending the three-point line and preventing assists, forcing teams to beat them in isolation. Seniors Jacari White and Jacksen Moni both have the ability to do that. Moni, in particular, can beat Butler from the perimeter, where Cassia and Screen have had trouble defending. He is averaging 24 points per game in North Dakota State’s past three outings.

Coming off a big loss to Houston, Butler has another marquee matchup with Wisconsin around the corner. The last time they faced an inferior opponent sandwiched between two ranked teams on their schedule, the Bulldogs failed to cover the spread against Eastern Illinois.

Why Butler Will Cover The Spread/Win

North Dakota State is on a hot stretch but is still just 4-4 against Division I opponents. Butler will be the best team they have faced all year by a wide margin.

Unsurprisingly, the success of the Bulldogs’ has directly relied on top scorers Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks II. When either Telfort or Brooks gets going and leads them in scoring, Butler is 6-0 and 5-1 ATS. However, when neither of them finds a rhythm, the Bulldogs have been led by Iowa transfer Patrick McCaffrey. In the three games McCaffrey led the team in scoring, Butler went just 1-2 and 0-3 ATS.

Telfort is the key player for Butler. The Bulldogs’ leading scorer gets over 50 percent of his points in the paint, where he loves his free throw line floater. North Dakota State is one of the worst teams in the country defending inside the arc, allowing opponents to hit 57.5 percent of their two-point attempts.

Final North Dakota State-Butler Prediction & Pick

Unless Thad Matta’s squad gets caught looking ahead again, this should be an ideal bounce-back spot for Butler. Where they struggle, the Bison are just not potent enough to be a threat. Their struggles will catch up with them eventually, but just not here. For as poor as Butler is on the defensive glass, North Dakota State is equally as inefficient at obtaining second opportunities.

During the month of November, Butler covered the spread in all five of their games. They have failed to do so in their first two games of December but will get back on track here.

Final North Dakota State-Butler Prediction & Pick: Butler -13.5 (-110)

The post North Dakota State vs. Butler prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.