Georgetown vs Butler Odds, Picks and Predictions: Conference Play Opens With Defensive Showcase

Big East Conference play kicks off for the Georgetown Hoyas and Butler Bulldogs when they clash tonight at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indiana.

Butler is seeking its seventh straight home win out of the gate, a big reason it's an 11.5-point favorite in the college basketball odds.

The Hoyas are coming off their second straight win, needing to go to OT to outlast the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Read below as I size up this Big East battle with my free college basketball picks and best bet for Georgetown vs. Butler on Tuesday, December 19.

Georgetown vs Butler best odds

Georgetown vs Butler picks and predictions

Both Georgetown and Butler have used the transfer portal to shake things up, and the returns so far have been great, with each school winning at a better pace than they were through 11 games a year ago.

Save for the ESPN Events Invitational tournament, the Bulldogs have played a road game just once all year, a 74-54 loss to then-18th-ranked Michigan State. They’re coming off a 96-70 whipping of Saginaw Valley State on Friday, the third time in four games they’ve scored 96 points or more in a game.

On the year, they’re 29th in scoring at 84.7 points per game, while ranking inside the Top 50 in both field goal shooting and assists. KenPom has them ranked 50th in offensive efficiency.

That’s slightly more pop than what the Hoyas offer, who put up 76.6 points per contest with their strength from beyond the arc. Georgetown shoots it at a 37.1% clip from downtown, and its nine triples per game ranks inside the Top 70 in the NCAA. Georgetown’s 3-point shooting was critical in its 72-68 OT win over the Fighting Irish, going 10-for-22, a 45.5% rate, which topped its 41.5% rate shooting from the field overall.

That proficiency will be tested tonight as the Butler defense is stout at defending the perimeter, allowing teams just a 30.5% success rate.

The Hoyas defend the arc even better than Butler, holding teams to 29.6% shooting and 71.4 points per game. Butler is allowing teams to score 70.1 points per contest. The teams split their two-game set a year ago, and both times the scores dipped under Tuesday’s 151 points total, and the Under has hit in the last four head-to-heads.

Butler's last 24 night games against conference opponents have produced a total of 150 or fewer points. The Under may just be 1-1-1 in Georgetown’s last three, but all three games checked in below 150 points.

My best bet: Under 150 (-110 at DraftKings)

Georgetown vs Butler same-game parlay

Under 150

Pierre Brooks Over 2.5 made threes

Dontrez Styles Over 13.5 points

+850 at DraftKings

For Butler, Michigan State transfer Pierre Brooks II leads the team with 16.8 points per game. In a blowout over Saginaw Valley State, he had 15 points and had his fewest 3-point attempts in a game this season, going 1-for-3. In the last two games, he’s totaled just three triples. Before this two-game stretch, he had hit three or more in four straight games at a 50% clip.

This is a guy who is shooting 40.9% on the year on six attempts per contest, blowing through previous career highs. Georgetown’s 3-point defense has been superb so far, but it’s been susceptible: three players have hit three or more threes in a game this season.

We’ll finish on Hoyas guard Dontrez Styles. In the past six games, he’s gone from double-digit shot attempts to under 10. Last game, he took just seven shots, scoring 10 points in the win over ND. 

Every time he pops double figures, he’s crossed his 13.5-point total. If the pattern continues, he should get more shots up and score 14 with ease.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Georgetown vs Butler spread and Over/Under analysis

The spread has stayed in double digits since opening, with the shortest Butler odds coming in at -10. That number has swelled to as high as 12.5, but most books have settled in at 11.5. Butler has been a solid cover play this year, going 7-3-0 against the spread this year, and 4-2-0 as favorites.

The Hoyas, meanwhile, have covered just four times in 11 contests, but are a respectable 2-2-0 ATS as the betting underdog.

This total has seen some movement. The highest number on the board Monday was 153 points, with the lowest line at 148.5. By the time Monday night rolled around, it was more likely than not that you were finding the total at 150.5 or 151 points.

Both schools are sitting around .500 on Over/Unders. The Over has gone 6-4-1 in Georgetown games, and 5-4-1 in Butler’s contests.

Georgetown vs Butler betting trend to know

Georgetown has lost 24 of its last 25 night games against Conference opponents. Find more college basketball betting trends for Georgetown vs. Butler.

Georgetown vs Butler game info

Georgetown vs Butler key injuries

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