The No. 4 UConn Huskies take on the Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday in a Big East college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Huskies are listed as 9.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 143.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this Big East college basketball matchup.
Marquette vs. UConn prediction, preview
The UConn Huskies are once again a top-five team in the country. They are currently projected to be a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, they might need to win the Big East Tournament to hold on to that position. Before they can focus on winning the conference, they have one last regular-season game to win against Marquette. UConn is by no means the most talented team in the country. However, they have a very experienced core of players that knows how to close out games. They play at a very slow pace, ranking 314th in the nation in adjusted tempo. The team always executes well down the stretch, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
It has been a poor season for Marquette in the Big East. The Golden Eagles are in second-to-last in the Big East, just one game ahead of last-place Georgetown. Marquette is a decent defensive team, ranking 60th in the nation in defensive rating. However, they really struggle to put the ball in the basket. The Golden Eagles rank 129th in the nation in offensive rating. They are one of two teams in the Big East with a negative average point differential. One thing that has really hurt Marquette is its free-throw shooting. When you already struggle to score, free throws become so important. However, Marquette ranks dead last in the Big East in free-throw percentage this season.
Marquette vs. UConn pick
My best bet for this game is on the under 143.5 points. UConn should dominate this game defensively. The Huskies rank 12th in the nation in defensive rating, while Marquette ranks 129th in offensive rating. UConn is allowing just 65.2 points per game this season, the 11th-best mark in the country. They smothered Marquette in the first meeting between these teams this season. The Huskies won that game 73-57 in Storrs. It should be another dominant game by UConn. They could be looking ahead to the Big East Tournament a bit, but this is a mature, experienced group that will take care of business here. UConn isn’t a team that typically scores in bunches and plays at a slow pace. That combination of factors should lead to this game staying under the total.
