The Big East is in the house tonight and the Marquette Golden Eagles are the heavy favorites to beat the Butler Bulldogs at Fiserv Forum.

While the Bulldogs hope to end a three-game losing streak, my Butler vs. Marquette predictions assume the tough times continue.

Read on for my college basketball picks for Wednesday, December 18th, before that 9:00 p.m. ET tip on FS1.

Butler vs Marquette Prediction

My best choice
Marquette -13.5 (-110 at bet365)

My analysis

The Butler Bulldogs have struggled, scoring fewer than 74 points in each of their last four games.

Butler doesn’t handle the stone particularly well. Opponents have turned their dozen turnovers into 13 points per night, and that’s not ideal when you’re facing a Marquette Golden Eagles group that averages 20.5 points off 16 forced turnovers per night.

Turnovers aside, Butler relies heavily on three-pointers, shooting late in the final period but shooting 39% from downtown to offset his effective field goal percentage of 53%.

It’s a big number to cover, but Marquette will get it done. The Golden Eagles have a top-20 KenPom defense that defends the triple at a high level (30%) and averages 20 points off 16 errors.

Butler won’t recover from the mistakes and will have difficulty slowing down the Golden Eagles’ scorers. Marquette is decent off the rock, averaging 15 cents per game and will get plenty of open looks from everywhere against a Butler group that doesn’t defend well anywhere.

Since 2020, Marquette is 49-7 straight-up and 30-25-1 ATS when favored at home. It has covered the number against Butler in three of the last five games with the Bulldogs and will cover the big number tonight.

Butler vs. Marquette, same game play

Marquette -13.5

Butler team overall over 61.5

Below 154.5

I like Marquette to sweep Butler out of the gym tonight, but I believe the Bulldogs will hit enough triples to top their team’s total.

Marquette defends the perimeter well, but is not elite. Butler will hope to score at least 22 points, and a team with a 39% three-point shooting percentage in a lull can get hot enough from downtown and make enough free throws (75%) to reach the 62-point mark to exceed.

That’s why I decided on the alternative game sum. The 155 points give us a lead, but far too much for a Big East matchup that has finished under that number in each of the last five meetings.

Learn how to place a bet in the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Butler vs Marquette odds

Butler vs Marquette live odds

Opening odds for Butler vs. Marquette

• Spread: Butler +13 (-110) | Marquette -13 (-110)
• Money line: Butler +575 | Marquette-850
• Over/Under: Over 150.5 (-110) | Below 150.5 (-110)

Odds courtesy of bet365

What you need to know about the Butler vs. Marquette betting trend.

Marquette has covered the spread in 17 of its last 23 home games (+10.40 units / 41% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Butler vs. Marquette.

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