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The Villanova Wildcats are set to face the Marquette Golden Eagles. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Villanova Marquette prediction, odds, and pick.
The Villanova Wildcats have not been able to put all the pieces together this season. A 16-5 record isn't bad, but it's not what Jay Wright or VU fans — or for that matter, college basketball odds analysts — expected. Villanova battled Baylor in the Sweet 16 without star guard Collin Gillespie. With Gillespie coming back this season, the Wildcats had Final Four expectations. Right now, Villanova isn't even a top-two seed for the NCAA Tournament, which obviously reduces VU's Final Four odds. It also reshapes the Villanova Marquette odds in this upcoming game in Milwaukee.
Villanova got blown out by Creighton and lost to Marquette at home in Philadelphia. The Wildcats' offense cratered down the stretch in that game, scoring just three points in the final 7:32 of a 57-54 loss. Villanova hasn't beaten elite teams when it had a chance to play them. The Wildcats have lost to UCLA, Baylor, and Purdue this season. Wright, who has won two national titles, knows he needs to find a way to bring out the best in his team. His players haven't meshed as well as he expected, and the lineup combinations he has used have not lit a fire under this particular roster. Keep that in mind when considering a Villanova Marquette prediction.
It has been a much more fun and positive season for Marquette. Though the Golden Eagles don't have Villanova's upside, they have overachieved and put themselves in position to make the NCAA Tournament. First-year head coach Shaka Smart, coming over from Texas, has given this team fresh energy and a new sense of purpose. In addition to the thrilling comeback win over Villanova a few weeks ago, Marquette had won seven games in a row before finally falling to the first-place team in the Big East, the Providence Friars. This is part of the calculus when reviewing what you will choose as your Villanova Marquette pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Villanova-Marquette odds:
College Basketball odds: Villanova-Marquette Odds
Villanova: -4.5 (-110)
Marquette: +4.5 (-110)
Over: 132.5 (-106)
Under: 132.5 (-114)
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Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats are going to be out for revenge. This is a road game, but the idea that Villanova will be swept by Marquette — when VU has Jay Wright as its coach and a lot of talent on its 2022 roster — is hard to accept. It is certainly possible, but not anything one would want to bank on.
Why Marquette Could Cover the Spread
The Golden Eagles, winners of seven of their last eight games, know what it takes to win. This program underachieved under Steve Wojciechowski, but Shaka Smart has the operation headed in the right direction. Villanova outplayed Marquette for most of the game in the first meeting between the two schools this season. Even though MU rallied late, it knows it has to be a lot more consistent here.
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Final Villanova-Marquette Prediction & Pick
Villanova will win, but Marquette is too pesky and feisty on defense to let the Wildcats purr with efficiency on offense. Marquette will keep this close and ultimately cover. Villanova wins by three.
Final Villanova-Marquette Pick: Marquette +4.5
