Butler vs. Seton Hall Picks and Prediction for Saturday, January 17, 2026
Use Code WWWC Butler Bulldogs (10-7) vs. Seton Hall Pirates (14-3)
The 2025-26 college basketball season goes on Saturday, January 17, with the Butler Bulldogs taking on the No. 25 Seton Hall Pirates in the Big East Conference showdown at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, and we’ve got you covered with our Butler vs. Seton Hall prediction.
The Bulldogs meet the Pirates for the first time this season, and Butler aims for its third straight victory over Seton Hall. Last season, Butler beat Seton Hall twice, 82-77 and 84-54, to snap its six-game skid in this series.
Read more about this Butler vs. Seton Hall prediction, and make sure to check out all our NCAAB picks for Saturday’s card. The tip-off at Prudential Center is set at noon PM ET.
Butler is on a four-game slide
The Butler Bulldogs (10-7; 9-8 ATS; 9-8 O/U) have struggled a lot lately and are winless in four straight outings. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have recorded a couple of home losses against Villanova 85-67 and St. John’s 84-70, along with a pair of road defeats at Creighton 89-85 and Xavier 89-75.
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Last Wednesday, the Bulldogs were slight 1.5-point favorites at Xavier. They trailed the Musketeers all night and by as many as 23 points. Butler shot 43.3% from the field (8-for-27 from deep) and gave up 16 offensive rebounds to the Musketeers, who outscored the Bulldogs 50-34 in the paint.
Senior forward Michael Ajayi led the way for Butler last Wednesday, posting a line of 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Ajayi averages 16.5 points and 12.1 rebounds, while junior guard Finley Bizjack tallies 16.1 points and 2.2 assists per game.
The Bulldogs are 1-5 in conference play. They score 116.8 points per 100 possessions (69th in the country) and allow 103.8 points in return (75th). Butler is No. 61 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Seton Hall’s win streak is over
The Seton Hall Pirates (14-3; 11-6 ATS; 7-9-1 O/U) put an end to their three-game winning streak last Tuesday, suffering a 69-64 home loss against No. 3 UConn. After beating Marquette 79-73, Creighton 56-54, and Georgetown 76-67, the Pirates battled bravely against the Huskies and covered a 6.5-point spread.
Junior guard Mike Williams scored 16 points against UConn, including a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left on the clock to cut the Huskies’ lead to one point. However, the Pirates went 1-for-16 from downtown and 15-for-25 from the foul line, as their defense kept them close down the stretch. UConn led by as many as 18 points.
Senior guard A.J. Staton-McCray leads the way for the Pirates with 11.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Junior guard Adam Clark averages 10.6 points and 4.8 assists, while fellow junior guard TJ Simpkins adds 10.6 points and 3.0 boards a night.
The Pirates are 4-2 in conference play. They score 110.3 points per 100 possessions (149th in the nation) and surrender just 94.9 points in return (9th). Seton Hall is No. 41 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Butler vs. Seton Hall Pick
Spread Pick for Butler vs. Seton Hall
- Seton Hall -6.0 (5 units)
Seton Hall is not a great offensive team by any stretch of the imagination. The Pirates heavily rely on their sturdy defense. They are sixth in the country in defensive turnover percentage (22.6%), 10th in opposing 2-point percentage (44.6%), and 82nd in opposing 3-point percentage (31.5%).
The Pirates just held UConn to 69 points. I will lean on their defense to make a difference in this game. The Pirates should score enough against the Bulldogs, whose defense has struggled a lot lately. Butler has allowed 84 or more points in four straight outings.
The Bulldogs are 29th in the nation in opposing 3-point rate (.336). But they don’t force a lot of turnovers (275th in defensive turnover percentage, 15.5%), and the Pirates don’t rely on 3-pointers a lot (359th in 3-point rate, .284).
Over/Under Pick for Butler vs. Seton Hall
- Over 142.5 (5 units)
I’m backing the Pirates because of their defense, but this game could easily go over the total. The Bulldogs prefer to play at a fast pace. They register 71.1 possessions per 40 minutes in conference play, and their defense is dead last in the Big East Conference in effective field goal percentage (56.7%).
As I noted, the Bulldogs have allowed at least 84 points in each of their last four games. The Pirates won’t hesitate to push the ball in transition and look for easy baskets whenever they can. Seton Hall is seventh in pace (67.3) and second in free-throw rate (.369) in conference play. The Pirates lead the Big East in offensive rebound percentage (36.9%).
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