Villanova Wildcats vs Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Pick & Prediction 1/15/24
Don’t miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Wildcats and Golden Eagles. The game is starting at 2:30 ET on FOX, and it’s hosted by the Golden Eagles at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. Get ready to place your bets! The odds for this Big East conference game currently have the Golden Eagles as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 142.5 points.
VILLANOVA WILDCATS VS MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Marquette Golden Eagles -5
This game will be played at Fiserv Forum at 2:30 ET on Monday, January 15th.
WHY BET THE MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-68 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
- Not only will Marquette pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 142.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.
Will Villanova Make it Happen on the Road?
Villanova will be playing their 17th game of the season, and they come in with an 11-5 record. In their last game, they defeated DePaul by a score of 94-69.
So far this season, the Wildcats have gone 4-1 in conference play, and they are 7-4 in non-conference games. As the underdog, they have a perfect 2-0 record, and they have gone 3-2 on the road compared to 8-3 at home.
Against the spread, Villanova has a record of 9-7 this season. On the road, they are 3-2 vs. the spread and have gone 2-1 in their last 3 road games. As the underdog, the Wildcats have an ATS mark of 2-0 this year and have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games as the underdog.
This season, the over/under record for Villanova games is 6-9-1. The average scoring total in their games this year is 139.3 points, which is slightly lower than the average over/under line of 138.4. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 148 points, and their over/under record in those games is 2-1.
Villanova recently showcased a strong offensive performance, scoring 94 points against DePaul. This output exceeded their season average of 74.2 points per game. Leading the team in scoring is Eric Dixon, who is averaging 15.3 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, TJ Bamba also maintains a PPG average of 9.5 heading into game.
So far, the Wildcats’ defense is ranked 42nd in the country at 65.1 points per contest. Villanova’s defense is coming off a game in which they allowed the DePaul offense to knock down 55% of their shots on their way to putting up 69 points.
Will Marquette Come Through as Home Favorites?
Marquette has been excellent at home this season, going 10-2 with an average scoring margin of +14.6 points per game. They are 9-4 when favored, and they have been favored in 13 of their 16 games.
Marquette’s overall record is 11-5, and they have gone 2-3 in Big East play. They are coming off a 69-62 loss to Butler, and they have lost two straight games.
Marquette has an ATS mark of 7-8-1 this season and they are 6-5-1 vs. the spread at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Golden Eagles have gone 4-6 vs. the spread. In their last 3 games at home, Marquette has an ATS record of 2-1.
Marquette’s over/under record for the season is 5-11 and today’s line of 142.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (148.2). So far, 11 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 140 points and their over/under record in their last 10 games is 2-8.
The Marquette offense, in their latest game, managed to score just 62 points versus Butler. During the game, they attempted 31 three-point shots and had a field goal percentage of 32.9%. Leading the team in scoring was Kam Jones with 20 points. Oso Ighodaro also added 12 points for the Golden Eagles.
Marquette’s defense has been playing well, ranking 79th nationally, with 67.2 points allowed per game. Marquette’s three-point defense is currently 174th in the country at 8.0 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 42.7% of their shots vs. Marquette.