Northwestern Wildcats vs. Butler Bulldogs Picks and Prediction for Saturday, December 20, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s an early season clash on the hardwood and it brings a non-conference tilt between foes from the Big Ten and the Big East on the hardwood in the Hoosier State as the Northwestern Wildcats take on the Butler Bulldogs Saturday afternoon in a matchup of the Indy Classic and we have you covered with our Northwestern vs. Butler prediction. Northwestern comes in off an 86-70 win over Valparaiso Tuesday night in their previous contest, covering the line as a 15-point favorite. Butler fell 79-60 to #5 UConn on the road in their previous contest Tuesday, failing to cover the line as a 15.5-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, the Wildcats own a 16-12 advantage but the Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings, including a 71-69 road win in the most recent matchup November 28, 2024. Read more about this Northwestern vs. Butler prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Northwestern Seeking First Win Over Butler Since 1984
Northwestern won their second straight game as they downed Valparaiso at home Tuesday night in their previous contest. The Wildcats improved to 7-4 on the year overall and are 0-2 in the Big Ten on the year. Against Valparaiso, Northwestern scored the game’s first seven points and didn’t trail in the contest. The Wildcats were up 39-30 at the half and didn’t let the Beacons closer than eight in the second half while leading by as many as 24 en route to the win. Northwestern shot 54.1% from the floor, including five of 21 from three-point range, and forced 15 turnovers in the win. Nick Martinelli led the Wildcats with 29 points and six rebounds in the victory.
The Wildcats enter this contest 91st in scoring offense by putting up 82.6 points per game on the year. Northwestern is collecting an average of 34.6 boards a night while ranking 31st by dishing out 18.5 assists a game. The Wildcats are good on the defensive end of the floor, ranking 125th in scoring defense as they allow 71 points per contest. Nick Martinelli leads the Wildcats offensively as he puts up 21.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Arrinten Page (15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists), Jayden Reid (11.6 points, 5.5 assists) and Justin Mullins are good secondary scoring threats. Tre Singleton, Angelo Ciaravino, Max Green, K.J. Windham, Jake West, Tyler Kropp, Phoenix Gill and Jordan Clayton are capable rotation pieces for Northwestern this season. The Wildcats shoot 50.5% from the field on the season, putting them 27th in the country. Northwestern knocks down 6.5 triples per game while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc, leaving them 201st in the nation. The Wildcats have been slightly above average at the free throw line, converting 74.2% of their chances at the line this season, leaving them 106th in that department.
Key Injury Report for Northwestern:
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- No Key Injuries
Bulldogs Look to Pick Up Victory
Butler fell for the second time in three games as they were downed on the road by #5 UConn their last time out. The Bulldogs dropped to 8-3 overall on the year and stand 0-1 in Big East play as they take the floor here. Against UConn, Butler led 11-4 early before giving up a 26-6 run that left them down 30-17 with 5:36 to play in the first half and never made a sustained push after that. The Bulldogs trailed by 14 at the half and by as many as 23 while not getting closer than 11 in the second half en route to the loss. Butler shot a putrid 29.5% from the floor, including five of 24 from beyond the arc, and lost the rebounding battle 47-29 in the game. Drayton Jones led the Bulldogs with 13 points in the loss.
The Bulldogs put up an average of 87.4 points per game on the season, which puts them 42nd in the nation in scoring offense. Butler pulls down 42.1 rebounds per contest (21st) and dish out 16.9 assists (68th in the nation) per contest. The Bulldogs are below average on the defensive end of the floor, ranking 251st in scoring defense as they allow 76.3 points per game this season. Finley Bizjack is leading the team and is one of two players averaging in double figures as he puts up 17.7 points and 2.3 assists per game this season. Michael Ajayi (16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds), Jamie Kaiser Jr. (9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Yohan Traore are good secondary options this season. Jalen Jackson, Evan Haywood, Yame Butler, Azavier Robinson, Drayton Jones, Jack McCaffrey, Jackson Keith and Ethan McComb are looked at to contribute for coach Thad Matta. Butler shoots 47.6% from the field as a team on the season. The Bulldogs knock down an average of 8.3 triples a night while hitting 37.1% from beyond the arc, which is 59th in the country. Butler is struggling at the charity stripe as they sink 67.3% of their chances this season, which is 302nd in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Butler:
- Guard Jalen Jackson (ankle) is out.
- Forward Jack McCaffrey (illness) is questionable.
Northwestern vs. Butler Pick
Northwestern vs. Butler Moneyline Pick
- Butler -122 (4 units)
Northwestern has started the year solidly enough but a closer look at their resume shows that they have issues. Four of the Wildcats’ seven wins have come against teams ranked 298th or worse in the KenPom rankings entering this contest. They’ve played four teams ranked in the top 60 of the KenPom rankings and are 0-4 in those contests. While three of those defeats are by five points or less, the fact remains that they haven’t been able to get over the hump in those contests. Butler is just 1-3 against teams in the top 45 in the KenPom rankings but they are a good offensive squad, capable of doing damage from the perimeter. The teams both faced Virginia as part of the Skechers Greenbrier Tip-Off with Northwestern falling 83-78 while Butler picked up an 80-73 win. Based on Northwestern being 1-2 on neutral floors and 1-1 on the road while the Bulldogs are 2-0 on neutral floors, take Butler here.
Northwestern vs. Butler Over/Under Pick
- Over 158.5 (4 units)
Northwestern has gone over the number in eight of their 11 games in relation to the total this season. The Wildcats rank 103rd in defensive efficiency, 42nd in effective field goal percentage defense (46.3%), 199th in forced turnover percentage (17.1%) and 65th in field goal percentage defense (40.6%) on the year. Northwestern is 220th in adjusted tempo with 68.2 possessions a night. Butler has stayed under the number in six of their 11 games in relation to the total on the year. The Bulldogs are 48th in offensive efficiency, 86th in effective field goal percentage (54.1%), 17th in offensive rebounding percentage (39.1%), 59th in three-point shooting and 31st in free throw rate (.45 per FG attempt) on the year. Butler runs as they are 90th in tempo with 70.7 possessions a night. With the Wildcats above average offensively and Butler capable of putting up points, this game winds up over the total.
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