Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Golden Eagles versus the Musketeers? Tip off is at at 5:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on FOX. The game will be played at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH. Marquette come into this Big East conference matchup as the -2.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 158.5 points.

MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES VS XAVIER MUSKETEERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Xavier Musketeers +2.5

This game will be played at Cintas Center at 5:00 ET on Saturday, March 9th.

WHY BET THE XAVIER MUSKETEERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-68 in favor of the Musketeers.
  • Not only will Xavier pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +2.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 158.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 143 points.

Does Marquette Have a Shot at a Road Win?

Marquette is the favorite in this game, as they are favored by 2.5 points. They have a record of 18-4 when favored this season, and they have gone 22-8 overall.

On the road, the Golden Eagles have gone 6-5 this year, and their average scoring margin is -0.5 points per game. They have lost their last two games away from home, and their record over their last 10 road games is 5-5.

Marquette has an overall ATS record of 17-12-1 this season. On the road, they are 5-6 vs. the spread. As the favorite, the Golden Eagles are 13-9 vs. the spread this year. In their last 10 games as the favorite, Marquette is 8-2 ATS.

This season, the over/under record for Marquette games is 12-18 and the average scoring total in their games is 148.4 points. Today’s over/under line of 158.5 is higher than the average OU line in their games this year (149.5). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 154 points.

In contrast to their season average of 79 points per game, the Marquette had a below average performance. They scored 67 points against Connecticut and had a field goal percentage of 43.3%. Leading the team in scoring was Kam Jones with 18 points. Oso Ighodaro also added 16 points for the Golden Eagles.

Coming into today’s game, the Marquette defense is giving up an average of 69.5 points per contest. So far, the Marquette defense is giving up an average of 9.7 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 10 times per game (420th).

Is A Home Victory Likely for Underdog Xavier?

Xavier enters this game as a 2.5-point underdog, and they have gone just 2-11 in that role this season. They are 11-6 at home this season, and their average scoring margin at home is +7.9.

Over their last 10 games at home, the Musketeers have gone 7-3, and they are 3-2 in their last five games at home. In their most recent game, they lost to Butler by a score of 72-66.

As the underdog, Xavier has struggled against the spread recently, going 0-3 in their last 3 games and 0-5 in their last 5 as the underdog. Overall, their ATS record this season is 15-13-2, including a mark of 9-6-2 at home. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Musketeers are just 3-6-1 vs. the spread.

The over/under record for Xavier this season is 15-15, and today’s line of 158.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (150). So far, 22 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s OU line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 159 points, and their over/under record in their last 10 games is 4-6.

Coming off their recent game, the Xavier offense tallied 66 points in a matchup against Butler. Their field goal percentage for the game was 37.3%, and they made 4 threes. Currently leading the team in scoring is Quincy Olivari who comes into today’s matchup averaging 19.1. Desmond Claude also heads into the game with a PPG average of 16.1.

The Musketeers’ defense is presently ranked 228th nationally, allowing an average of 73.8 points per contest. Xavier’s three-point defense is currently 161st 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.