Fansided

Providence vs. Marquette prediction and odds for Wednesday, January 18 (Value on over/under)

By Reed Wallach

Jan 15, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Kam Jones (1) dribbles against Xavier Musketeers guard Colby Jones (3) in the first half at Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Kam Jones (1) dribbles against Xavier Musketeers guard Colby Jones (3) in the first half at Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Providence and Marquette meet for the second time this season after a thrilling double overtime matchup on December 20th that the Friars won 103-98.

The two meet again in Milwaukee with both teams atop the Big East standings with each one coming off of close losses over the weekend. Providence lost its first game in Big East play to Creighton over the weekend while Marquette couldn’t keep up at Xavier on Sunday.

Will Marquette pull into a tie for first in the conference with some revenge against Providence?

Let’s check out the odds for this expected shootout:

Providence vs. Marquette odds, spread and total

Providence vs. Marquette prediction and pick

Marquette plays at a fast tempo, particularly on offense, where it has the 13th shortest offensive possession length, per KenPom. The team loves to get up and down the floor and get to the rim, where they shoot 60% as a team, second best in the country.

The Golden Eagles are also incredible reliant on their ball pressure to slow offense down, the highest turnover rate in Big East play. That can be an issue for Providence given that they haven’t had guard Jared Bynum for the last two games.

If the Friars can survive the full court pressure, they should have a layup line inside with Marquette’s poor interior defense. The team is last in Big East play in both two-point defense (54%) and offensive rebounding rate allowed.

Opponents are grabbing 35% of available second chances, which is particularly concerning against Providence who has the best OREB% in league play.

Marquette is going to push the pace, and I’m not sure Providence can keep up if Bynum doesn’t play (he’s a game-time decision as of this writing), but instead of counting on the Golden Eagles to win by margin, I’ll bank on the over.

Even without Bynum in the lineup, the Friars outlasted a similarly fast paced team in St. John’s 83-80 and the first meeting between these teams featured 156 points in regulation before two extra sessions, going over the total of 149.5.

I’ll bank on another shootout once again.

Track all of Reed’s bets at Betstamp HERE!

—

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.