Butler at Providence - 3/12/20 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Butler Bulldogs (22-9) at Providence Friars (19-12)
College Basketball: Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 2:30 pm (Madison Square Garden)
The Line: Providence Friars +1 -- Over/Under: 130 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Butler Bulldogs (22-9, 10-8 CONF) and the Providence Friars (19-12, 12-6 CONF) will meet on Thursday, March 12th for the Quarterfinal of the Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The game will be played at 2:30 PM eastern time.
Butler ended their regular season defeating Xavier on the road, 72-71. Butler is currently ranked #24 in the country and is riding a three-game win streak heading into this tournament. Providence defeated DePaul, 93-55 at home in their last game of the regular season. Providence is on a six-game win streak currently, which included a win on the road against Villanova.
Butler scores 68.5 points per game on 46.0 percent field goal shooting this season. Butler’s leading scorer is G Kamar Baldwin, who scores 16.2 points per game. The leading rebounder for Butler is F Bryce Nze, who earns 6.6 rebounds per game. Butler allows 62.1 points per game to the opposition, therefore they have a +6.4 scoring differential so far this season. Butler also earns 34.8 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 2.6 blocks, and 5.3 steals per game as a team.
Providence scores 71.4 points per game on 41.3 percent field goal shooting this season. Providence’s leading scorer and rebounder is G Alpha Diallo, who scores 14.1 points per game and earns 7.8 rebounds per game. Providence allows 66.2 points per game to the opposition, thus they have a +5.2 scoring differential so far this season. Providence also earns 37.8 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 3.3 blocks, and 8.3 steals per game as a team.
Butler is 16-13-2 against the spread this season and 4-5-1 against the spread in their last ten games. Butler is also 2-1 against the spread at neutral site locations so far this season. Providence is 16-14-1 against the spread this season and 8-2 against the spread in their last ten games. Providence is also 0-4 against the spread in neutral site games so far this season.
This is going to be a great game between two teams that have played great basketball as of late. I think Providence is more well-rounded and has the buildup to make it deep in this conference tournament, and perhaps the NCAA Tourney, therefore I will take them and the free point.
Ronald’s Pick Providence +1
AUTHOR: Ronald Romanelli

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