NCAA Basketball Betting - #11 Butler vs. Northwestern

NCAA Basketball Betting - Bulldogs Look to Bite Wildcats

No. 11 Butler entered this season with high expectations as the heavy favorite to win the Horizon League, concluded by the highest preseason ranking in school history. The Bulldogs will be facing a Northwestern team on Wednesday (8pm EST) that will be without its star player for the entire year.

Butler is returning nearly its entire team from last year, when they posted a 26-game winning campaign. Against the spread, the Bulldogs went 16-13-1. They started this season with a 73-62 victory over Davidson, but they failed to cover the spread as the 14-point favorites on Saturday.

Saturday's result may not favor Butler backers Wednesday, considering they are 1-4 against the spread following a straight up victory and an against the spread loss. Butler is 3-0-1 versus Big 10 opponents, though, they haven't cashed in the last five consecutive games overall.

While Butler has hopes on crashing the Final Four, Northwestern desires erasing the stigma of being the only school from a major conference never to reach the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats defeated Northern Illinois 77-55 on Friday, but the win came at a costly price with senior Jeff Ryan suffering a torn ACL that ended his season.

However, the Wildcats fattened the wallets of their backers by covering the spread as 14-point favorites. The blowout victory could prove costly one Wednesday, because Northwestern is a money-dropping 0-6 following a game won by 20 or more points straight up, and they are just 1-4 against the number following a money-making outing.

Against the spread, in non-conference play they have earned a modest profit with a 7-3-1 record. And the Wildcats have covered in four of its last five home games. However, they are just 0-3-1 versus Horizon League opponents.

Northwestern also endured another crushing blow on Monday when the 2008-09 leading scorer and second-team all-Big Ten selection Kevin Coble opted for season-ending surgery to repair a fractured left foot. Coble, who suffered the injury in practice Nov. 10, averaged 15.5 points and 4.8 rebounds a contest as a junior in helping the Wildcats reach the NIT last season.

Without stars Coble and Ryan, Northwestern’s depth instantly becomes significantly hobbled, which is a huge cause for concern in a very deep Big Ten Conference. The offensive load now must be carried out by guards Jeremy Nash, Michael Thompson and center Luka Mirkovic. The trio combined for 47 points versus Northern Illinois, going 21-of-28 from the charity stripe.

Butler, which has won 21 straight November games dating back to 2005, rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat Northwestern 57-53 at home last season. BetUS have listed Butler 4-point road underdogs. With Northwestern playing without two of its best players, sports betting fans have to like the luke-warm favored Bulldogs.

If you bet on basketball, don't miss this competitive non-conference matchup. Both teams have started this basketball betting campaign off with a straight up victory. Now is the time to stay abreast of all the basketball wagering action,  because before you know it, March madness will be upon us! Good luck!

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