Free Pick | Tuesday | NCAA | Feb. 13

Nelly’s Basketball is 13-7 in our last 20 picks since Feb. 4 and we have won in February Basketball 16 of the past 20 seasons!

#602 Butler +4 over Marquette 5:30 PM CT

Butler has overcome a shaky start to Big East play to reach 7-6 in the standings including beating Providence and Villanova in the past two home games. The Bulldogs have already had to play Connecticut twice, accounting for a pair of Big East losses and the Bulldogs beat Marquette in Milwaukee about a month ago as Thad Matta’s squad will have played four games vs. the top two teams in the standings already after tonight for one of the more difficult league paths. Marquette has won seven in a row since the home loss to Butler but two of the road wins came against DePaul and Georgetown, the clear bottom two teams in the conference. Marquette did good work in a difficult non-conference run but has looked ordinary in Big East play even with a 9-3 record. Two of the team’s road wins have come by five or fewer points and rebounding and free throw shooting have been marginal for the Golden Eagles. Butler has a quality offense that can keep pace in this game as one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference and the lowest turnover rate team in the Big East, an important factor tonight as the strength of the Marquette defense is forcing turnovers. Butler still won even with 18 turnovers in the first meeting between these teams and Marquette can’t count on getting that many giveaways again. Marquette also no longer has Sean Jones in the backcourt as they did when these teams met in January. Butler is 11-2 S/U at home and has gone 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings between these teams as the points are appealing in Tuesday’s early Big East clash.