Butler Bulldogs vs Eastern Michigan Eagles Picks and Predictions December 2nd 2025

Match Facts

Butler rides into this one at 6-1 after a wild split personality performance against Wright State: flat and disjointed without starting point guard Jalen Jackson in the first half, then erupting for 65 points after halftime once they finally found their offensive rhythm. Eastern Michigan comes in at 5-3, on a two-game winning streak and fresh off a controlled 73-55 win over NJIT that suggested their physicality and rebounding can travel.

Jackson’s likely absence is the central storyline. Thad Matta has already admitted Butler has to “find its way” offensively when he is out, and that means heavier creation duties for Finley Bizjack and Michael Ajayi, plus more responsibility on Azavier Robinson to manage the game as a starter. Eastern Michigan counters with a frontcourt-driven approach built around Mohammad Habhab and Godslove Nwabude, both capable of controlling the glass and turning defense into instant offense.

For a broader view of where both programs sit in the national landscape and how this matchup fits into the daily betting card, you can stack this game up against the rest of the slate on the college basketball teams hub at the NCAAB teams page.

Item	Detail
Matchup	Eastern Michigan Eagles at Butler Bulldogs
Venue	Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Date / Time	Tuesday, December 2, 2025 – 7:00 PM ET
Records	Eastern Michigan 5-3, Butler 6-1
Broadcast	truTV

Line and Odds

Butler is priced like a serious home heavyweight here despite the backcourt injury situation.

Market	Number
Spread	Butler -17.5, Eastern Michigan +17.5
Moneyline	Butler -2967, Eastern Michigan +1137
Total	Over/Under 151.5

For real-time movement on this number and the rest of the board, the college basketball section on the NCAAB scores and odds page is the right place to track where money is showing up.

Movement Matchup

The market is clearly buying Butler’s ceiling more than it is worried about Jackson’s absence. A 17.5-point number essentially says oddsmakers expect the offensive surge that showed up in the second half against Wright State to be closer to the truth than the disjointed, stagnant version that opened that game. The Bulldogs’ 90.9 points per game on 50 percent shooting justify that respect; when their spacing is right and the ball moves, they look like a top-25 level attack.

Eastern Michigan is being treated like a scrappy but outgunned mid-major. That is fair in terms of raw talent, but the number does not ignore their recent form. A 64-56 upset at Cincinnati followed by a 73-55 handling of NJIT shows they are capable of imposing their physical style when they are locked in defensively. The big question is whether that effort level holds for forty minutes in a building like Hinkle against a much deeper roster.

This kind of point spread is where edges buy-side can appear in derivative markets and props rather than just spread or total. The broader strategy for handling these big numbers is outlined in the college basketball picks section, where these games are regularly compared against others with similar profiles.

Breakdown Injury Reports

Butler’s backcourt health dictates a lot of how this game will look. Eastern Michigan comes in relatively clean on the injury front, which is critical for a team that relies so heavily on a few core producers.

Team	Player	Status	Injury / Note
Butler	Jalen Jackson (G)	Doubtful	Out vs Wright State, backcourt linchpin
Butler	Azavier Robinson (G)	Starting role	Stepping in as lead guard, heavy minutes
Eastern Michigan	None reported	Expected full	Standard rotation available

If Jackson does sit again, Butler loses its primary initiator, best paint pressure guard and on-ball organizer. That makes Robinson’s ability to handle defensive pressure and Bizjack’s decision-making under extra usage critical.

Butler Bulldogs Recent Performance

The last game told you everything about this Butler team. Without Jackson, the first half against Wright State was lethargic and choppy. The Bulldogs never led before the break, struggled to generate clean looks and had no real tempo. Then the second half began and they exploded for 65 points, flipping the game on its head with pace, spacing and shotmaking.

Finley Bizjack and Michael Ajayi were the engines. Each scored 20 points, with Ajayi adding eight rebounds and four assists, continuing the form that earned him Big East Player of the Week. He has posted a double-double in six of seven games, which means he is no longer just a complementary piece; he is the system’s backbone at both ends. Bizjack’s scoring versatility off the dribble and off the catch forces defenses to guard twenty-four feet from the hoop, opening lanes for everyone else.

Azavier Robinson’s first start was quietly important. Nine points, a career-high four assists and three steals show that he can handle a bigger role, even if he is not replicating Jackson’s full offensive package. Defensively, Butler’s guards are aggressive and opportunistic, and when that energy aligns with Ajayi’s work on the glass and their overall offensive efficiency, the statistics make sense: nearly 91 points per game on 50 percent shooting and a perfect home record at Hinkle, where they are 4-0.

Eastern Michigan Eagles Recent Performance

Eastern Michigan is not going to match Butler’s offensive firepower, but the Eagles have carved out an identity that travels better than some might expect. The 73-55 win over NJIT was their most complete performance of the season, particularly on the defensive end. They held the Highlanders to 34 percent from the field and 3-for-25 from three, which is the template for them: physical on the glass, aggressive in passing lanes and ruthless about contesting perimeter looks.

Godslove Nwabude’s breakout against NJIT was exactly what Stan Heath has been waiting for. Twelve points, fourteen rebounds, four blocks and four steals is a do-everything line that shows how his motor and length can dominate a game without needing a high usage rate. With Mohammad Habhab already averaging about 15.9 points and 9.2 rebounds and producing five double-doubles this season, Eastern Michigan suddenly has a frontcourt duo that can battle on the boards with bigger programs.

The road win at Cincinnati is the proof of concept. They went into a hostile environment, defended, rebounded and ground out a 64-56 upset. The 87-46 collapse at Louisville is the other side of the coin: if they get sped up, miss shots early and lose their defensive discipline, the game can get away from them quickly. Their 71.5 points per game and low national scoring rank reflect that offensive volatility. Heath knows his group has to manufacture edges with effort, structure and toughness, not firepower.

Betting Insights and Trends

Butler has been a bettor’s dream so far, going 7-0 against the spread and 5-0 as a favorite. The market has not caught up to how efficient their offense is when it is clicking, and Hinkle has remained one of the more reliable home courts in the country. They are not grinding out wins; they are blowing teams off the floor when the ball moves and the threes fall.

Eastern Michigan, on the other hand, has carved out its own profitable niche. A 6-2 record against the spread and 4-1 mark as an underdog show that oddsmakers have been a step slow to adjust to their defensive progress and rebounding edge. They may not win many of these step-up games outright, but they have been capable of keeping them closer than expected when they play inside-out through Habhab, defend with discipline and squeeze the tempo.

The clash of styles here is simple. Butler wants this in the high 70s and 80s with pace and spacing, leveraging its scoring depth and shooting. Eastern Michigan wants a more controlled game where their size matters and Butler has to execute in the half court without its starting point guard. Big spreads like this often turn on whether the favorite can keep its foot down for forty minutes or whether a defensive-minded underdog can drag the game into a more compressed possession count.

Longer term, both teams’ profiles touch futures markets as well. Butler’s rise has already nudged them into broader postseason conversations, including dark-horse treatment in some college basketball championship odds breakdowns, while players like Ajayi and Bizjack are the kinds of names that can drift into broader awards chatter if their numbers hold, which you see reflected in broader John Wooden Award odds discussions.

Best Bets and Prediction Handicapper Section

The key question is not whether Butler is better. They are. The real question is whether this specific version of Butler, likely without Jalen Jackson, is twenty points better than a competent, tough, rebounding Eastern Michigan team that has already gone into Cincinnati and won outright.

Projecting this out, the most likely script has Butler’s talent, shooting and home comfort gradually overwhelming the Eagles, but not necessarily in a game-long avalanche. Eastern Michigan is capable of ugly stretches offensively, yet their work on the glass and willingness to defend should be enough to avoid a complete collapse if they do not let Butler’s shooters get into an early rhythm.

Projected Score: Butler 85, Eastern Michigan 63

With that projection, Butler -17.5 is still playable. You are effectively backing a top-30 caliber offense in its own building against a side that struggles to consistently reach the mid-60s against good defense. Even with Jackson out, Butler has enough shot creation and firepower to build and protect a margin if they approach this with the same second-half urgency they showed against Wright State from the opening tip.

On the total, 85–63 combines for 148 points, which leans under 151.5. Eastern Michigan’s offensive limitations against a locked-in Butler defense are the main reason. If the Bulldogs get into one of those stretches where their defense sets the tone and the game tilts more toward half-court possessions in the second half, the Eagles may not score enough to push this over, even if Butler does its part.