Courtside Players Club NCAAB 1-3 Units (11/8/24)

NCAAB

1 Pick

6:30PM EST: Butler -16.5 (3U).

Butler played exceptionally sloppy basketball against Missouri State in their first game, but we like them to clean it up. 4 of their 5 starters and 5 of their 7 contributors are multi-year Butler guys. HC Thad Matta is in his 3rd season since rejoining Butler in 2022 and he's as successful as they come. He has a career Win % of 71.6 and 5 career Sweet 16 finishes or better in 20 seasons coached. Butler was a decent team last year and improved on Matta's first year back, going 18-15 overall and 9-11 in Big East play. They're better than they showed in that first game.

Austin Peay is straight up worse than Missouri State is but there's a massive size issue today. APSU starts 4 Guards, 3 of which are 6'3 or shorter and another 6'6. They also start a hefty forward that's 6'8 280. 2 of their other 3 rotational pieces are also 6'2. Butler starts 4 true Forwards and a Center. Their shortest starter is 6'6 but weighs 240 pounds. With the 7'1 Andre Screen protecting the rim it's hard to see APSU getting too many clean looks. Size difference will help Butler snag some extra possessions in the rebound department.