Anything goes in March! With the South Region up for grabs with many upsets already occurring, the ten-seeded Colorado Buffaloes will look to add to this list as they go to war with the two-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles. Join us for our March Madness odds series, where our Colorado-Marquette prediction and pick will be made.
There's no other way around it. Colorado's thrilling last-second win over the Florida Gators will go down in history in the Buffaloes basketball program 'til the end of time. After CU led by as many as 14 points with four minutes left, UF was absolutely relentless in their comeback pursuit and tied the game on a deep three with eleven seconds remaining, it was star guard K.J Simpson who had the last laugh. Following the last-second heave from Simpson, the ball touched every part of the rim before finally dropping to give the Buffs their second tournament win this season.
After exiting the tournament festivities a year ago much earlier than they would've liked, Marquette is more than determined to right their wrongs and prove that they are a legitimate contender among the field. Reigning from the Big East Conference, the Golden Eagles have transcended their basketball program in impressive fashion over the last couple of decades and are not to be messed with. Led by the brilliance of head coach Shaka Smart, the Golden Eagles have high aspirations to do something special this March.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Colorado-Marquette Odds
Colorado: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +152
Marquette: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -184
Over: 147.5 (-115)
Under: 147.5 (-105)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 12:10 ET/9:10 PT
TV: CBS
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Colorado Will Cover The Spread/Win
Winners in 10 of their last 11 games, CU is officially hotter than Satan's toenails. Indeed, the dramatic victory over the Gators was the cherry on top of a season that has been more than a success. During the preseason, many analysts predicted Colorado to make some noise come March, but a slew of injuries and unable to garner the necessary chemistry as a team haunted the Buffaloes for most of the year. However, the tides of the campaign changed in a big way during the middle of February, and Colorado hasn't looked back since.
Backed by a trio of NBA draft picks in KJ Simpson, Tristan Da Silva, and Cody Williams, the Buffaloes may find it difficult to shoot 60% from deep and 63% as a whole from the floor on Sunday, but playing smart and not turning the basketball over will be something that will be in more of CU's control. If there is one Achilles' Heel for Colorado, it is that they average roughly 12.6 turnovers per contest which is higher than one would expect for a veteran-heavy squad.
Still, the Buffs make up for it with their out-of-this-world three-point shooting. Believe it or not, but Colorado is the sixth-best three-point shooting team in the nation at 39.4% and isn't afraid to pull the trigger from trey-land.
One name that could make or break Colorado's upset bid will fall on the shoulders of big man Eddie Lampkin. An absolute unit down low, the former TCU center is one of the strongest big men remaining in the tournament and possesses phenomenal touch around the rim. With his help, the Buffaloes will be in a fantastic position to get after the boards and try to play bully ball against the Golden Eagles.
Why Marquette Will Cover The Spread/Win
At one point, things were looking a little shaky when Marquette found themselves in a dog fight with 15-seed Western Kentucky. By the time the first half wrapped up, the Golden Eagles were starting at a seven-point deficit with the pressure mounting. Ultimately, Marquette strung together a near-flawless second half as they put up a whopping 51 points on the Hilltoppers' defense before winning by a score of 87-69.
In order to cover the spread and advance to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013, they will need to make it a priority to control the tempo and not get extremely outworked on the glass. Like many instances this season, Marquette gets out-rebounded more often times than not. On Friday, it was the Golden Eagles that lost the rebounding battle 44-37 against a pesky Western Kentucky crew. Nonetheless, the Golden Eagles only had 10 turnovers on the day which is roughly their season average. Hauling in some offensive rebounds to increase possessions as well as keeping the giveaways to a minimum prove to be a recipe for success.
Plus, the return of top playmaker Tyler Kolek is a game-changer, to say the least. Having not played since Feb. 28th, Kolek returned to action versus the Hilltoppers and showed no rust en route to putting up 18 points on the scoreboard. He could be a huge difference-maker against Colorado.
Final Colorado-Marquette Prediction & Pick
It has been a magical season for Colorado, to say the least, and there are reasons to believe that they can hang with this Marquette squad. Simply put, it comes down to avoiding turnovers. CU turns it over on 18.3% possessions and will find it hard to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 1969 if sloppiness rears its ugly head. Whether it remains to be seen who will win this matchup, expect it to be a nail-biter down to the very end.
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Final Colorado-Marquette Prediction & Pick: Colorado +4.5 (-110)
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