6:40 p.m. ET: Butler Bulldogs (7-4) at St. John’s Red Storm (9-3)

Spread: St. Johns -6
Total: 135.5

The Red Storm (8-3, 1-0 Big East) are looking to stay unbeaten in conference play. They were credited with a forfeit victory when Seton Hall could not provide enough available players for Monday’s scheduled game. St. John’s leading scorer, Julian Champagnie tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated and as of Wednesday, it is unclear if the Big East’s second-leading scorer will be available. Butler (7-4, 0-0) is looking to bounce back from a 77-48 loss to then #3 Purdue on Saturday and enters its Big East opener with the league’s worst scoring offense at 63.4 points per game. The Bulldogs have been held under 70 points in their past 4 games and shot a dreadful 32% from the field against Purdue. The Bulldogs were without Bryce Nze (shoulder), Bo Hodges (knee), and Chuck Harris (non-COVID-19 illness) and it is unclear if the trio will be available Thursday. This is going to be a game you will want to verify the availability of the questionable players before tip. The key for St. John’s will be if Champaigne is playing or not but at this point, he is probably not playing with covid. Butler will be looking to bounce back after the disappointing loss to Purdue and should be able to keep this game close. Take Butler to cover the spread in a low-scoring game. 

Trends

• The Favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
• The Home team is 13-3 ATS in the last 16 meetings.

The Bookie:          Butler +6 / Under 135.5
Fade the Public:   Butler / Under
Sharp Action:       Butler / Under