Florida vs. Butler: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Unblemished Butler puts its perfect record on the line when it welcomes SEC outfit Florida to town on Saturday afternoon.

TV schedule: Saturday, December 7, 12:00 pm ET. FOX.
Arena: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

Butler seeks to remain undefeated during the 2019-20 campaign when the Bulldogs host Florida on Saturday afternoon in an intriguing non-conference tilt. Rated No. 24 in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll, Butler (8-0) is off to a somewhat surprising start in the present stanza, and that’s in a stellar way.

Slotted at No. 8 in the Big East Conference’s preseason ballot, the Bulldogs have yet to experience a defeat in 2019-20, notching victories against IUPUI, Minnesota, Missouri, Morehead State, New Orleans, Ole Miss, Stanford and Wofford. That’s pretty darn impressive for a Butler unit that finished 2018-19 at 16–17, falling in the NIT’s first round.

For the Gators (6-2), meanwhile, it’s proven a slightly disappointing current term to date. Florida, placed at No. 2 in the Southeastern Conference’s preseason poll, began 2019-20 as a widely regarded Final Four contender, with many of the sport’s pundits putting the Gators in the top 10 of their initial rankings before competition commenced.

A pair of early setbacks, at home to Sunshine State rival Florida State, and on the road to another Big East member, Connecticut, dropped Florida from the national ratings, although the Gators did register a quality triumph versus then-No. 18 Xavier on Nov. 24 in the championship bout of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.

This clash between Florida and the Bulldogs provides an excellent opportunity for the winner to bolster its resume, particularly for the Gators. Florida is suiting up away from Gainesville, and the Gators could use an additional premier conquest in the out-of-conference slate.

From a statistical perspective, Butler is averaging 71.1 points per affair and giving up 55.5 points. Florida, conversely, is scoring 67.6 points every 40 minutes, while allowing 62.0 points. The Bulldogs connect on a solid 49.3 percent from the field, 72.4 percent from the charity stripe, and 35.9 percent from 3-point land, as compared to 43.5 percent, 70.7 percent and a paltry 30.1 percent, respectively, for the Gators. Several other categories are relatively similar, however, Florida does have a decent edge in rebounding, and the same holds true for Butler as it pertains to assists.

Interestingly enough, a year ago, this duo of programs actually went toe to toe twice in the non-conference calendar, with each group picking up an achievement. Since the Bulldogs will play this go-round in front of a likely boisterous crowd inside Hinkle Fieldhouse, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that Butler possesses a 65.8 percent chance to prevail. I believe that the Gators will give the Bulldogs all that they can handle in Indianapolis, but ultimately Butler will squeak by in an entertaining encounter.

Prediction: Butler 68 – Florida 64