The Marquette Golden Eagles (22-8) travel to face off against the Xavier Musketeers (15-15) on Saturday, March 9th. This game will be played at Cintas Center in Cincinnati and televised on FOX. Both Marquette and Xavier will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 ET.
Marquette Golden Eagles vs Xavier Musketeers
The Marquette Golden Eagles Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Marquette enters this game as a 1.5-point favorite, and they have gone 18-4 in 22 games as the favorite this season. The Golden Eagles have gone 6-5 on the road this year, and their average scoring margin on the road is -0.5 points per game.
Overall, Marquette is 22-8 this season, and they have gone 13-6 in Big East Conference games. They have lost their last two games, including a 74-67 loss to Connecticut in their most recent game.
Marquette enters this game with a solid ATS record of 17-12-1 this season. On the road, they are 5-6 vs. the spread. However, over their last 10 road games, the Golden Eagles have gone just 4-6 ATS. As the favorite, Marquette has been excellent vs. the spread this year, going 13-9.
Marquette’s over/under record this season is 12-18 and today’s line of 157.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (149.5). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average scoring total of 154 points.
The Xavier Musketeers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
As an underdog, Xavier has gone 2-11 this season. They enter this game with a record of 15-15, including a 9-10 mark in Big East play. At home, the Musketeers are 11-6, with an average scoring margin of +7.9 points per game.
In their last outing, Xavier lost to Butler by a score of 72-66. Over their last 10 games at home, the Musketeers have gone 7-3, and they are 3-2 in their last five.
As the underdog this season, Xavier has an ATS record of 6-6-1. At home, the Musketeers have an ATS mark of 9-6-2. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, Xavier has gone just 3-6-1 vs. the spread. In their last three games at home, the Musketeers have an ATS record of 1-2. Overall, Xavier is 15-13-2 vs. the spread this year.
Today’s over/under line of 157.5 is higher than the average over/under line in Xavier’s games this season (150) and the average scoring total in their games (150.1). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 with an average scoring total of 159 points.
Marquette Offense Breakdown
Compared to their season average of 79 points per game, Marquette struggled in their previous game. Against Connecticut, the Golden Eagles scored 67 points while finishing with a field goal percentage of 43.3%. The top scorer for the Golden Eagles was Kam Jones with 18 points, while Oso Ighodaro also added 16 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kam Jones (G) | 16.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Tyler Kolek (G) | 15.0 | 4.7 | 7.6 |
| Oso Ighodaro (F) | 14.0 | 7.3 | 2.8 |
Xavier Offense Breakdown
Xavier offense recently wrapped up a game with a total of 66 points against Butler. In that game, they made 4/13 three-point attempts and achieved a field goal percentage of 37.3%. Desmond Claude led the team in scoring, putting up 17 points. Additionally, Quincy Olivari contributed 13 points for the Musketeers.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy Olivari (G) | 19.1 | 5.5 | 1.9 |
| Desmond Claude (G) | 16.1 | 4.1 | 3.2 |
| Dayvion McKnight (G) | 12.3 | 3.8 | 4.9 |
Marquette Team Defense
At this time, the Golden Eagles’ defense is positioned 105th in the country, permitting 69.5 points per game. Against Connecticut, the Golden Eagles’ defense gave up 74 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Connecticut only made 9 free-throws.
Xavier Team Defense
The Musketeers’ defense is presently ranked 228th nationally, allowing an average of 73.8 points per contest. Xavier’s three-point defense is currently 154th in the country at 7.4 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 42.8% of their shots vs. Xavier.
Golden Eagles vs Musketeers Trends
- Although Marquette has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 68 points per game in these games.
- Through their last ten home contests, the Musketeers offense has averaged 74 points per game while allowing an average of 80. Xavier posted an overall record of 3-7 while going 4-6 ATS.
- Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Musketeers have a straight up record of 0-5. Their record vs the spread in these games was 0-5.
- Marquette has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.
Golden Eagles vs Musketeers Prediction
The Musketeers come in as the underdog at +1.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 157.5 and given that our model is projecting 143 points between the teams, we like the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:March 9, 2024 Marquette Golden Eagles, Xavier Musketeers