Xavier vs. Marquette Pick
Is No. 6 Xavier in danger of being upset in its Big East opener tonight when it goes on the road to face Marquette at 8:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Xavier is the slight favorite on the road, as the Musketeers are getting odds of -3 points against Marquette. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 162 points. Tonight’s game takes place from the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will air live on FS1.
Xavier is riding a 7-game winning streak entering tonight’s game. The Musketeers are now 12-1 on the season. They are also 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 and 10-3 ATS on the year. Xavier is putting up 86.9 points per game this season while allowing just 69.8 per contest. On the road, Xavier is scoring just 78.5 per game. Trevon Bluiett is averaging 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to lead the team while J.P Macura is adding 12.2 points and 4.2 boards per game.
Marquette is on a 4-game winning streak coming into conference play. The Golden Eagles are 9-3 on the season and 5-6 against the spread. They have managed to cover in three of their last four games. Marquette is averaging 83 points per game on offense while allowing 73.5 per game on defense. Markus Howard is averaging 21.8 points per game this year to lead Marquette while Andrew Rowsey is adding 20.7 points and 4.5 assists per game.
Marquette has won and covered in its last two meetings with Xavier coming into tonight’s game. Both wins were by double digits as well. However, Marquette is just 2-6 against the spread in their last 8 at home and 2-7 ATS in their last 9 after a win. Xavier has covered in 17 of its last 21 overall and 9 of their last 11 on the road. Xavier opens up Big East play with a big test, but give it’s the conference opener, I don’t see the Musketeers overlooking that test. The public betting is slightly with Xavier and I agree.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: XAVIER -3