Marquette Golden Eagles vs UConn Huskies Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/17/2024

Game Time: 3:00 pm ET, Saturday, February 17, 2024

Venue:  XL Center, Hartford, CT

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Marquette +7, UConn -7; Over/Under:  147.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Marquette +7, UConn -7; Over/Under:  147.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Marquette +7, UConn -7; Over/Under:  147.5 points

Marquette Golden Eagles:  19-5 (10-3) (2nd place, Big East)

UConn Huskies:  23-2 (13-1) (1st place, Big East)

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Marquette Golden Eagles:  5-0  last 5

UConn Huskies:  5-0  last 5

Marquette is entering this game with a 19-5 record overall, a 10-3 record in conference games, and they are 6-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Butler Bulldogs in their last game. Tyler Kolek led the team in points per game in that game with 27 while Oso Ighodaro was next on the team with 17. Tyler Kolek led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Oso Ighodaro led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 47.7% from the field, 41.7% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.2 PPG against them. Marquette has an ATS record of 14-9-1 this season and their O/U record is 9-15.

UConn is entering this game with a 23-2 record overall, a 13-1 conference record, and they are 13-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the DePaul Blue Demons in their last game. Alex Karaban led the team in points in that game with 21 while Stephon Castle was next on the team with 15. Stephon Castle led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Tristen Newton led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 56.3% from the field, 46.4% from 3-point range, and 72.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.1 PPG against them. UConn has an ATS record of 15-10 this season and their O/U record is 13-11-1.

The current betting odds have UConn listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UConn has looked great in their games this season with their 23-2 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as the best in the nation right now. They have been holding down the number 1 rank in the country for a few weeks now and they have looked great in the Big East this year with their 13-1 conference record which is leading the way right now. They have also been rolling teams on their home court all season with their 13-0 home record. Meanwhile, Marquette has also looked great in their games this season with their 19-5 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as one of the best in the nation too. They are right behind UConn in the rankings and in the Big East with their 10-3 conference record. They have also looked good in their road games with their 6-3 road record this season, but a majority of their losses this year have been in road games which shows they have definitely struggled more in those games compared to being at home. This is going to be a good game with 2 strong sides but UConn has been rolling teams in their games lately and they are going to bring their best effort on their home court for a conference opponent ranked as high as Marquette is. They also have some extra motivation considering what Marquette did to them last season in the Big East Tournament. The best way to place a bet here is on UConn to cover the spread in this game. 

Marquette UConn Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, February 17, 2024 (3:00 pm ET start time) is UConn 88 Marquette 75.

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Marquette Golden Eagles: 21-9 ATS as an underdog. 35-21 ATS against conference opponents. 11-6 ATS off a road win. 25-16 UNDER when the total is 140 to 149.5. 18-5 UNDER after scoring 75 points or more in 5 straight games. 12-6 UNDER after playing 3 consecutive games as favorite.

UConn Huskies: 24-36 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. 6-15 ATS after 2 straight covers as a double digit favorite. 3-6 ATS after 2 straight wins by 10 points or more. 13-7 UNDER after scoring 80 points or more in a win over a conference rival. 11-6 UNDER after 2 straight covers as a double digit favorite. 10-5 UNDER after a game where they made 13 or more 3 point shots.

Marquette Golden Eagles:  S. Jones (G) out for season - Knee.

UConn Huskies:  J. Ross (F) Ques Sat - Illness.

“He's motivated. He's always motivated, but even more so (now) to be his best. When you get to this time of the year, senior year, you know that it's go time.” - Shaka Smart on Oso Ighodaro after his team’s win against Butler in their last game on Tuesday.

“I thought we handled the game real professionally and just showed tremendous respect for our opponent in this one. I had some concerns coming in, just human nature things relative to taking the game lightly, but we were pretty on point.” - Dan Hurley after his team’s win against DePaul in their last game on Wednesday. 

O. Ighodaro 

K. Jones 

D. Joplin 

T. Kolek 

S. Mitchell

S. Ball 

D. Clingan 

A. Karaban 

T. Newton 

C. Spencer

PPG: T. Kolek (16.1)

APG: T. Kolek (7.4)

Reb/G: O. Ighodaro (7.5)

PPG: C. Spencer (15.2)

APG: T. Newton (5.7)

Reb/G: T. Newton (6.7)

Coaches:

Marquette Golden Eagles: Shaka Smart (3rd season)

UConn Huskies: Dan Hurley (6th season)