The No. 20 Providence Friars will be at the BMO Harris Bradley Center to challenge the Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East matchup. The game begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and will air on CCS.
The Golden Eagles are hoping to rebound after their 90-82 loss to Xavier on Saturday. Henry Ellenson finished with 22 points to lead the team. The Friars are coming off a 72-60 loss to Villanova on Saturday. Ben Bentil led the game in scoring with 20 points.
It could be a mistake-prone game for the Golden Eagles offense, which ranks 324th in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 21.2%). They’ll be facing the disruptive Providence defense, which forces the 23rd-most turnovers in the nation (22.1%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Golden Eagles won the first game 65-64. Despite the loss, Bentil had a standout performance with 28 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
Even with a positive Straight Up (SU) record of 15-9, the Golden Eagles are 9-14 Against The Spread (ATS) in those games. Marquette has the 31st-most assists in Division I, averaging 16.4 per game. As for the Marquette defense, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Golden Eagles, who rank 39th in the country in steals per game with 7.8.
As for their opponent, the Friars have 18-6 SU and 13-10 ATS records. The Friars are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 41st in Division I at 1.34. The Providence defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 35th in Division I with only 68.2 points allowed per road game. Providence’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents shooting only .308 from the three.
With the Golden Eagles’ last win against Providence, their SU record rises to 8-2 over Providence in their most recent meetings. With a 9-1 record, the Golden Eagles also have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Providence held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Marquette never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Prov, ATS Winner – Prov
Notes
“Marquette is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“Marquette is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games “.
“Marquette is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home”.
“Marquette is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home”.
“Marquette is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Providence”.
“Marquette is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing Providence”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Marquette’s last 7 games when playing Providence”.
“Marquette is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Providence”.
“Marquette is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Providence”.
Marquette averages 75.2 points per game, placing the team just 112th in the nation. Providence ranks 80th in points allowed, giving up 68.1 points per game.
Providence scores 73.6 points per away game (ranked 85th). Marquette ranks a poor 163rd in points allowed at home, allowing 70.0 points.
The Marquette Golden Eagles have a defensive rating of 98.4 (ranked 78th), while the Providence Friars have an offensive rating of 105.7 (ranked 183rd).
Marquette has an average field goal percentage of 46.3%. Providence is a subpar 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Marquette Golden Eagles and the Providence Friars both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Marquette is 110th and 74th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Providence ranks 272nd and 261st in these categories.
Marquette ranks 31st in assists, recording 16.4 per game. Providence ranks 53rd with 15.7 assists per game.
Marquette, the 43rd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.9 per game. Providence does worse, ranked 128th with 3.8.
On average, Marquette makes 7.8 steals per game. Providence has a winning 7-3 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
