The Colorado Buffaloes are one win away from their first Sweet 16 appearance since the 1969 NCAA Tournament but must get by the two-seed Marquette Golden Eagles on Sunday to do so.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (-5, 148)
The biggest advantage Colorado has in this game is on the glass, ranking 11th in the country entering the weekend in rebound rate while Marquette is just 286th in the country in this category.
The return of point guard and nationwide leader in assists, Tyler Kolek, for Marquette amplifies its offense and appeared to shake off the rust in the team’s first-round game against Western Kentucky, contributing 18 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists in an 87-69 victory.
In their round of 64 games though, Marquette trailed 43-36 at halftime and if Marquette isn’t generating turnovers on defense, it does leave this defense vulnerable.
In games played away from home, Marquette ranks 30th in the nation in turnovers forced on a per-possession basis but is 156th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage, allowing opponents to make 33.6% of their 3’s.
The Buffaloes are the better 3-point shooting offense and defense in this matchup, ranking 55th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage while making 39.4% of their 3’s on offense, which ranks sixth among Division I teams.
While Colorado’s 3-point shooting percentage dips to 36.1% away from home, Marquette makes just 34.4% of their 3’s in games played away from home with Golden Eagles averaging fewer points per possession in both games played away from home and overall as Colorado is 29th in the country in points scored per possession while Marquette is 38th.
With each of Colorado’s top six scorers with at least one made 3-point shot this season shooting at least 39.2% from 3-point range and four of the Buffaloes top five scorers averaging more than five rebounds per game while Marquette has just one player averaging at least five rebounds per game, Colorado has Marquette on upset alert.
The Play: Colorado +5
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