Halftime Report

Wisconsin is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Butler 47-33.

Wisconsin entered the game with three straight defeats and they're well on their way to making it four. Can they turn things around, or will Butler hand them another loss? Only time will tell.

Who's Playing

Wisconsin Badgers @ Butler Bulldogs

Current Records: Wisconsin 8-3, Butler 7-3

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What to Know

The Wisconsin Badgers' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Butler Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Badgers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 81.8 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Wisconsin came up short against Illinois and fell 86-80. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Badgers in their matchups with the Fighting Illini: they've now lost nine in a row.

Wisconsin's defeat came about despite a quality game from Nolan Winter, who earned 15 points in addition to seven rebounds and two steals.

Butler has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell just short of N. Dak. State by a score of 71-68 on Tuesday. The close match was extra heartbreaking for the Bulldogs, who almost overcame a 23 point deficit.

Butler's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Pierre Brooks II, who went 8 for 15 en route to 26 points plus seven rebounds, and Jahmyl Telfort, who had 23 points along with six rebounds. What's more, Telfort also racked up four offensive rebounds, the most he's had since back in December of 2023.

Even though they lost, Butler smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Wisconsin's defeat dropped their record down to 8-3. As for Butler, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3.

Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's game: Wisconsin has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.2 threes per game. However, it's not like Butler struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

As for their next game, Wisconsin is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Wisconsin is expected to win, but their 2-5 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.

Odds

Wisconsin is a 4.5-point favorite against Butler, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Badgers as a 3.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 146 points.

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