The No. 12 Marquette Golden Eagles (17-3, 6-1 Big East) look to continue their six-game winning streak against the Xavier Musketeers (11-9, 3-4 Big East) at Cintas Center. The game starts at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 26, 2019.
Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Xavier Musketeers Betting Prediction
In the Golden Eagles’ last contest, they beat the DePaul Blue Demons, 79-69. Marquette made good use of their 32 trips to the free throw line, making 28 of them (87.5 percent). DePaul, meanwhile, was 15-19 (78.9 percent). Theo John fueled Marquette with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
The Musketeers lost a close one to the Providence Friars in their last game, 64-62. Providence’s 13.3 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Xavier, who had a rate of 24.8. The Friars’ mark was better than their season average of 15.5, while the Musketeers’ was above their season average of 16.4. Xavier’s Zach Hankins had 12 points in the contest.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Markus Howard scored a game-high 26 points in the first matchup, in which the Golden Eagles beat the Musketeers 70-52. He also had eight assists. The Golden Eagles had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.508 vs. 0.324) and had a better turnover percentage (15.1 vs. 17.6).
A focal point for the Marquette offense is getting to the free throw line. The Golden Eagles rank 41st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.284), but Xavier is among the best in the NCAA at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 27th by yielding a FTA rate of 0.176).
Marquette vs. Xavier Free Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Marquette, ATS Winner – Marquette, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Marquette ranks 82nd in three pointers allowed per game (21.0) while Xavier ranks 230th (25.4).
The Golden Eagles average 14.5 assists per game, which ranks 88th in the nation. The Musketeers rank 215th in assists allowed per game (15.3).
Marquette ranks 38th in rebounds per game (39.1) while Xavier ranks 117th (36.3).
The Golden Eagles rank 25th in blocks per game (4.8) while the Musketeers rank 97th (3.4).
Xavier ranks 132nd in steals per game (6.1) while Marquette ranks 175th in steals allowed per game (7.5).
Bettings Trends:
The Golden Eagles’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.0, down from 10.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Musketeers have scored an average of 68.0 points per game (5.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 72.6 points per game (1.4 above their season average).
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