The time has come for yet another Conference to crown a champion as we're ready for another College Basketball betting prediction and pick. Top teams in the country will meet at Madison Square Garden for the Big East Championship Final as the No. 10 Marquette Golden Eagles (25-8, 14-6 Big East) take on the No. 2 UConn Huskies (30-3, 18-2 Big East). Check out our College Basketball odds series for our Marquette-UConn prediction and pick.
The Marquette Golden Eagles find themselves in the championship game following tournament wins over Villanova and Providence. They were on the brink of elimination in OT against Villanova but toughed-out the win. They lost an early lead against Providence, but once again pulled away at the end of the game. They'll be looking to repeat as Big East Champs.
The UConn Huskies are playing in their first Big East title game since Kemba Walker and Jim Calhoun's 2011 team. They found a decisive 87-60 win over Xavier in their first game and held off an electric St. John's team 95-90. They're 2-0 against this Marquette team on the year already, so they'll be liking their chances to win this as big betting favorites.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Marquette-UConn Odds
Marquette: +9.5 (-114)
Moneyline: +340
UConn: -9.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -450
Over: 142.5 (-115)
Under: 142.5 (-105)
How to Watch Marquette vs. UConn
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT
TV: FOX
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Marquette Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Golden Eagles basically had to win their game twice against Villanova as their perfectly-executed play at the buzzer was waved-off after review. Kam Jones made the difference in overtime and lifted them with his scoring, but it was certainly a close-call for the returning champs. They put forth a much stronger showing against Providence and got out to a fast start with their three-point shooting. They also played with a ton of energy and ran the floor en route to a halftime lead. Their defense down the stretch also stood tall and they held off a late-run from Providence to win the game.
Marquette will look to win the turnover battle throughout this game as they tend to do with each team they play. They love to get out in transition with their guards and push the pace in odd-man situations. Tyler Kolek will remain out and they've been able to fare without him, but they'll really need their shots to fall over this Connecticut interior. They won the turnover battles each time out against UConn, but their main struggle has been on the boards against them.
Why UConn Will Cover The Spread/Win
The UConn Huskies are probably the most complete team in the country from their production 1-through-5 on both ends of the floor. It seems as though a different player can step-up for them on any given day and as a team, they're more than willing to feed the hot hand. Alex Karaban had 23 points in his last time out against the Golden Eagles as Donovan Clingan dominated with 12 rebounds. With the two of them playing at a high-level, the Huskies will have a massive advantage in the interior of this game and they'll have many opportunities for easy looks under the rim.
UConn has the confidence knowing they've beaten Marquette over two meeting by a combined 35 points. Each game, they've dominated the rebounding categories by double-digits and their opponents haven't found a way to stop their production from inside. Look for the Huskies to clean up their turnover numbers knowing they can blow this team out if they can take care of the basketball. While Marquette has been stout on the defensive end during this tournament, UConn will still have more options to look towards in the scoring.
Final Marquette-UConn Prediction & Pick
This should be a great rematch from last year's conference tournament game, but the season series between these two teams hasn't been as competitive. Even with Tyler Kolek in their lineup, Marquette hasn't been able to find answer against UConn this season and they come into this one as sizable underdogs.
I think the size and productivity of UConn in the paint with their big men will be the difference in this game. They're very efficient under the basket on offense and they boast one of the better defensive units in college basketball. Marquette will have to survive on hitting their three-point shots, but UConn will have a much easier go at finding easy buckets down low. Let's ride the UConn Huskies to cover the spread and claim their first Big East title in 13 years.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Marquette-UConn Prediction & Pick: UConn Huskies -9.5 (-106)
Follow Us
Subscribe