Virginia vs. Butler, Picks and Prediction for Sunday, November 23, 2025
It’s an early-season clash on the hardwood, and it brings a non-conference tilt between foes from the ACC and the Big East on the hardwood in the Bluegrass State as the Virginia Cavaliers take on the Butler Bulldogs Sunday afternoon in a matchup of the Skechers Greenbrier Tip-Off, and we have you covered with our Virginia vs. Butler prediction. Virginia comes in off an 83-78 win over Northwestern on Friday in their previous contest, failing to cover the line as a 5.5-point favorite. Butler downed South Carolina 79-72 in their previous contest on Friday, covering the line as a four-point favorite. In the lone previous meeting between the teams, the Cavaliers took a 77-69 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament back on March 19, 2016. Read more about this Virginia vs. Butler prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
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Cavaliers Hoping Offense Keeps Humming
Virginia remained unbeaten on the year as they took down Northwestern, cracking the 80-point mark for the fifth straight game in the process, on Friday afternoon. The Cavaliers improved to 5-0 on the year and look to continue the strong start of the Ryan Odom era here. Against Northwestern, Virginia trailed by seven with 12:07 to play in the first half, rallied to lead by eight with 1:10 to play before intermission and held a four-point edge at the half. The Cavaliers were down seven with 15:24 remaining and by four with 7:24 to play before going on a 15-5 run that gave them a 79-73 edge with 23 seconds to play. They held off the Wildcats the rest of the way to earn the win. Virginia shot 37.5% from the field, including five of 24 from beyond the arc, hit 30 of 36 free throws and won the rebounding battle 49-25 in the game. Thijs De Ridder led the Cavaliers with 26 points and eight rebounds in the win.
The Cavaliers come into this game putting up an average of 89.2 points a game this season, which is 54th in the nation. Virginia grabs 46.6 boards a night (10th) while dishing out an average of 16.8 assists per contest. The Cavaliers are stifling defensively: they enter this contest 54th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing a measly 64.8 points per game. Thijs De Ridder leads the team with 19 points plus 6.4 rebounds per game this season. Chance Mallory (11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds), Sam Lewis (10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds) and Ugonna Onyenso (eight points, 4.6 rebounds) are solid secondary scoring options. Malik Thomas (12.4 points, 2.8 assists), Jacari White (7.6 points, 3.2 rebounds), Johann Grunloh (9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds), Dallin Hall, Elijah Gertrude and Martin Carrere all log key minutes for Ryan Odom’s squad. The Cavaliers shoot 47.4% from the field as a team on the year. Virginia connects on 10 triples per game this season while sinking 35.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc, which is 118th in the nation. The Cavaliers have been average at the charity stripe, hitting 70.4% at the line so far this season, putting them 194th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Virginia:
- F Devin Tillis (lower body) is questionable.
Butler Looking to Earn Second Straight Win
Butler bounced back from a road loss to SMU as they knocked off South Carolina in their first round matchup Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs improved to 4-1 on the season and look for a second straight win here. Against South Carolina, Butler never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 12 in the first half before settling for a seven-point margin at the half. The Bulldogs led by as many as 15 in the second half and didn’t let the Gamecocks closer than five, with that coming in the final minute. Butler shot 48.2% from the field, including five of 12 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 48-29 margin to offset missing 14 of 34 free throw attempts in the contest. Finley Bizjack led the Bulldogs with 18 points in the win.
The Bulldogs put up an average of 92.4 points per game on the season, which puts them 35th in the nation in scoring offense. Butler pulls down 46.6 rebounds per contest (10th) and dish out 18.6 assists (43rd in the nation) per contest. The Bulldogs are average on the defensive end of the floor, ranking 176th in scoring defense as they allow 72.4 points per game this season. Finley Bizjack is leading the team and is one of four players averaging in double figures as he puts up 15.6 points and 3.2 assists per game this season. Michael Ajayi (14.8 points, 12.2 rebounds), Jamie Kaiser Jr. (12 points, 5.4 rebounds) and Yohan Traore (nine points) 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 48.9% from the field as a team on the season. The Bulldogs knock down an average of 9.6 triples a night while hitting 40.3% from beyond the arc, which is 24th in the country. Butler is struggling at the charity stripe as they sink 65.4% of their chances this season, which is 314th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Butler:
- G Kevin Ndzle (back) is questionable.
- F Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (ankle) is questionable.
Virginia vs. Butler Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Earle Sports Bets | +2,298.00 |
| 2 |  Ross Benjamin | +1,840.00 |
| 3 |  Rob Vincilleti | +1,757.00 |
| 4 |  David Hess | +1,745.00 |
| 5 |  Dan Kaiser | +987.00 |
Virginia vs. Butler Moneyline Pick
- Virginia -6.5 (4 units)
Virginia’s offense is something that the Cavaliers haven’t seen in a couple of decades, as they have hung at least 80 points in five straight games. The Cavaliers are putting up big numbers on that end of the floor and getting big contributions from young guys like De Ridder. Butler has been a high-octane attack this season as well, but they are coming off their lowest point total of the season. It’s safe to say that Virginia is better defensively than South Carolina, and they can match the Bulldogs in the size department. The Cavaliers have the edge defensively and at the charity stripe. That’s enough to carry them to a 6-0 start.
Virginia vs. Butler Over/Under Pick
- Over 154.5 (4 units)
Virginia is 21st in offensive efficiency, 79th in effective field goal percentage (55.4%), second in offensive rebounding percentage (49.2%), 47th in free throws made per game (20) and 106th in two-point shooting (57%) on the year. The Cavaliers are 275th in tempo with 68.6 possessions a night this season. Virginia has stayed under the total in three of their five games on the year. Butler has gone over the number in three of their five games in relation to the total on the year. The Bulldogs are 60th in offensive efficiency, 59th in effective field goal percentage (56.5%), sixth in offensive rebounding percentage (45.6%), 24th in three-point shooting and 27th in free throw rate (.502 per FG attempt) on the year. Butler runs as they are 79th in tempo with 72.1 possessions a night. Look for this game to wind up over the mark as the teams pile up points.
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