Free College Basketball Picks Today: Butler Bulldogs vs Connecticut Huskies 12/17/22

The Butler Bulldogs (8-3) and No. 3 UConn Huskies (11-0) kick off Big East Conference play on Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. UConn dominated the LIU Sharks 114-61 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on Saturday, their 11th consecutive win.

With 22 points, Jordan Hawkins was the leading scorer. Donovan Clingan chipped in with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Butler won their fourth in a row in dominating fashion on Saturday at Haas Pavilion, beating the California Golden Bears 82-58.

Simas Lukosius and Jayden Taylor recorded 16 points each to top the scoresheet. With 13 points and 11 rebounds, Eric Hunter Jr also produced a strong performance.It’s the only meeting of the season between the teams.

UConn won both matchups between the teams last season, the last of which was a 75-56 triumph at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 20, their fifth straight head-to-head victory. Tyrese Martin led the Huskies with 27 points and six rebounds.

Chuck Harris had 16 points in defeat. Adama Sanogo is averaging 18.3 points per game to lead the Huskies in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Clingan is grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game, and Tristen Newton is dishing 4.4 assists.

Taylor (14.9 ppg), Harris (14.5), and Manny Bates (13.9) have supplied much of the Bulldogs’ offense. Bates also has pulled down 7.0 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Lukosius has distributed 3.7 assists per game. The Huskies are one of the top scoring offenses in the nation, ranking 14th with 85.0 points per game. In the last 10 games, UConn is 10-0 with an average margin of +26.1 (85.0-58.9). Butler has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 73.6 points per game on average while allowing 64.3 (+9.3 margin).

HUSKIES HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Andre Jackson Jr.: 20.4 | 11.7 | +8.7
Nahiem Alleyne: 5.2 | 8.6 | -3.4
Points per game:
Jordan Hawkins: 16.2 | 11.8 | +4.4
Tristen Newton: 6.2 | 10.0 | -3.8
Assists per game:
Andre Jackson Jr.: 4.6 | 3.4 | +1.2