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Butler vs. Villanova prediction and odds for Tuesday, February 14

By Josh Yourish

Feb 8, 2023; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Justin Moore (5) controls the ball againts the DePaul Blue Demons in the first half at William B. Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2023; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Justin Moore (5) controls the ball againts the DePaul Blue Demons in the first half at William B. Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s been a pretty disastrous first year for Jay Wright’s successor, Kyle Neptune as the head coach of the Villanova Wildcats, but there’s still some hope and it arrived in the form of Justin Moore.

Moore was injured in the Wildcat’s Elite Eight win over Houston a year ago, and finally returned from his torn Achilles for Nova’s most recent five games.

It’ll take an automatic bid by winning the Big East tournament, but that’s suddenly in the cards for the team that’s typically a Big East powerhouse. They’ve won two in a row to get to 12-13 and 6-8 in the Big East. They will look to make it three against the 13-13 (5-10) Butler Bulldogs at home tonight.

Let’s get into the odds for this Big East matchup.

Butler vs. Villanova odds, spread and total

Butler vs. Villanova prediction and pick

Villanova doesn’t play all that different of a style with Neptune as the head man, as it is still a slow-paced team that relies on super efficient offense to beat its opponents.

The issue is that the Wildcats are 105th in offensive efficiency this season, and have relied on a freshman, Cam Whitmore to be one of their primary offensive creators. Caleb Daniels is their leading scorer and leader in assists, which is another issue.

They’re missing the true point guard that they had in Collin Gillespie for years. Moore helps as another shot creator, but primarily for himself not for others, he doesn’t solve their point guard problem. Villanova is last in the Big East in assists per game with just 11.0.

Those are the reasons that Moore coming back is unlikely to salvage a sunk season, but he does make Villanova good enough to take care of Butler tonight.

The Bulldogs are 273rd in offensive efficiency and won’t be speeding up Villanova’s preferred pace of play. The Wildcats should cover this one and it’s another step closer to a Big East tournament run, but the underlying problems will still be there.

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change