FAU vs Butler Odds, Pick
| Florida Atlantic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -115 | 138.5 -110o / -110u | -300 |
| Butler Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -105 | 138.5 -110o / -110u | +240 |
Here's everything you need to know about Florida Atlantic vs. Butler on Thursday, Nov. 23 — our expert pick and betting guide.
Bryant shocked Florida Atlantic last weekend when the Bulldogs went on the road to Boca Raton and upset the Owls 61-52. The Owls entered this season as everyone's favorite mid-major team in the sport, and for good reason.
Last year's Florida Atlantic team made a historic run to the Final Four, ultimately losing a dramatic game to San Diego State. The Owls returned all key pieces, including head coach Dusty May, and have bigger dreams this year. The only problem is that they have not played very well to start the season.
On the other end, Thad Matta's Butler Bulldogs enter this year with a 3-1 record, a full week removed from their first loss in a road game to Michigan State. Butler has a new look and feel this season, and the offense was showing signs of promise before getting stuck in the mud in East Lansing last Friday.
With both teams entering off a loss, a win for either side would go a long way toward getting back on track.
Find my betting pick and prediction for Florida Atlantic vs. Butler below.
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Florida Atlantic Owls
It has been a tale of two teams for Florida Atlantic. In one game, the Owls are scoring 100 points on Eastern Michigan in a 43-point blowout victory. In the next game, they score just 52 in a loss to Bryant (who just fired its head coach).
Against Bryant, the Owls simply could not make a shot from outside. The team as a whole shot 5-30 from deep, good for just a 16% showing overall.
However, that is highly unlikely to happen again. The Owls were 19-42 from deep entering the Bryant game, and it is reasonable to believe that was a complete anomaly.
One big concern for the Owls is that their best player last season, Alijah Martin, has not looked like himself. He missed much of the preseason nursing an injury, and he has not gotten in rhythm at all yet, even in Florida Atlantic's strong performances. This team needs him to get on track, and quickly.
Butler Bulldogs
After a miserable season last year, Butler rebuilt its roster starting in the backcourt. Thad Matta went out and acquired Posh Alexander, DJ Davis and Pierre Brooks, all of whom have given the Bulldogs a nice scoring punch early in the season.
While the offense has a bit more firepower, the strength of this Butler team is its defense, and the Bulldogs rank 54th in the country in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. They force turnovers and don't give up anything easy at the rim.
This is the type of defense that can cause problems for a struggling offense, and if Florida Atlantic misses a few shots early, it would not be a surprise to see Butler have success on that end.
Florida Atlantic vs. Butler
Betting Pick & Prediction
While Butler certainly has the profile of a team that can make things difficult on Florida Atlantic, it feels more likely that the Owls get back on track here.
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Their last loss was entirely due to a historically cold shooting night from outside, and we can expect some serious positive shooting regression in this game to even things out.
