Quick Picks with Coach Rick Bowe, CBB Picks, CBB Free Picks, CBB Predictions 12/16/25
- rbowe7447
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
BUTLER @ UCONN (UCONN -14, 147.5)
On Tuesday night, No. 5 UConn kicks off conference action by hosting Butler in Hartford, Connecticut, in an attempt to win another Big East title. The Huskies are back to being a club that can win a national championship after finishing 24-11 overall and 14-6 in the Big East last year, four games behind league winner St. John's. Remember, the Huskies were national champions in 2023 and 2024.
UConn (10-1, 0-0 Big East) achieved notable wins this non-conference season against ranked opponents BYU, Illinois, Kansas, and Florida. The Huskies' only loss occurred at home on November 19 against Arizona, who was ranked No. 4 at the time.
The Huskies defeated Texas 71-63 last Friday to close out their non-conference play. In order to compensate for a difficult game in which junior guard Solo Ball only managed nine points on 3 of 10 shots, Alex Karaban led the Huskies with 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting.
"So proud of the team for what we've been able to do in the nonconference with the quality of the opposition and the adversity with having such key players out," Dan Hurley, the UConn coach, said. "Where we are going into conference play ... I'll take it."
Hurley was questioned about the significance of his team's non-conference performance in light of the Big East's dearth of Quad 1 possibilities this season.
Hurley remarked, "We knew we had to come through," It was imperative that we present the greatest NET we could. We were under a lot of strain, yet we managed to succeed."
UConn was ranked eighth nationwide in the NET standings going into Sunday's games. The only other schools in the league's top 90 were Butler (43), Villanova (34), Seton Hall (38), and St. John's (No. 24). The Huskies' balanced offense is led by Ball (14.5 ppg), Tarris Reed Jr. (14.3 ppg), and Karaban (13.8 ppg).
Conversely, Butler (8-2, 1-0) is coming off one of the season's most thrilling games. The Bulldogs defeated Providence 113-110 in double overtime on Saturday to begin Big East play.
Leading the way with 28 points and 15 rebounds was Michael Ajayi, a transfer from Gonzaga. In the last minute of the second overtime, Finley Bizjack tied the score with a big three-pointer and added 26 points.
Ajayi averages 17.4 points per game, while Bizjack averages a team-high 18.8. Ajayi contributes 3.2 assists per game and leads the country in rebounding (11.9 per game).
UConn has dominated this series. Since 2011, the Huskies have won all 11 meetings. Nevertheless, single digits have determined the outcome of the last four games. Among them is a thrilling 80-78 overtime game at the XL Center on January 21. Ball led the way in that game with 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting in the UConn matchup. Butler added 17 points from Bizjack to 25 from Jahmyl Telfort.
FREE PICK: UCONN -14
UConn has ruled this series, winning 11 straight games against the Bulldogs. The Huskies were double-digit favorites in 3 of the last 5 and only covered once. In fact, Butler has covered each of the last 3 games against UConn, but those are the only 3 covers in the last 10 head to head meetings. Butler is 2-11 in its last 13 road games, including their only true road game this year. UConn has something to prove even after wins over Kansas, Illinois, Florida, and Texas.
Coach Rick Day Pass $49
MUST PROFIT OR CBB FREE THROUGH DEC. 31, 2025
Ylose expert Coach Rick Bowe delivers his daily Quick Picks. The Coach continues to roll up big wins in college basketball, college football, the NFL, MLB and much more. Coach Rick offers a unique perspective to handicapping. Check out his daily free picks right here and jump on his daily Best Bets, which you can find right here at Ylose.com/coach.
