Triple Threat Sports
2* Northwestern (+) over Butler [8pm]
Both of these teams will likely be playing in the post season, but while coming into the season Butler is pretty much assured of an NCAA bid, that is far from the case for Northwestern so, yes even in November, this is a game with Big Dance implications, and in this case it means a TON more to the homestanding Wildcats. Both teams bring back a great deal of talent from last year, but NWU has added punch with the additions of Drew Crawford and Alex Marcotuillo, the latter a pure shooter and Crawford someone that can create his own shot. With defenses focused on Kevin Coble - who dropped 31 on national runner up Michigan State last year - Crawford, Marcotuillo and the rest of the Wildcat supporting cast should do well. Finally, these two teams played last year (when NWU not as good as they are now) at Butler, and the Bulldogs came away with a four point win. However, they shot 18 and mode 14 more free throws in that game, clearly a big reason for the outcome. Now that the Wildcats have the home zebra edge, expect that aspect of the game to turn around. Finally, numbers show that Butler just 10-18 ATS as away chalk of this range. Take the home dog here to pull the outright upset and make an early impression on the Committee.
