Connecticut vs. Marquette Prediction and Odds: Bet on a Defensive Battle in Big East

Big East action continues Tuesday night when the Connecticut Huskies hit the road to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. Both teams will be playing in their second conference game after losing their first of the year. 

The Huskies are 4.5 point favorites at WynnBET and won the last game between these two teams last year 65-54. However, they have lost three of their last four games and are now 8-4 overall. UConn suffered a brutal loss to Providence as 7.5 point favorites in their last game and hope to snap out of a two-game losing streak to get back on track in the Big East. 

On the other side of things, the Golden Eagles have dropped back-to-back games against Xavier and UCLA. However, they managed to cover those losses, unlike UConn. Marquette has been dealing with some issues on the offensive end of the court and is shooting just 43 percent from the field. In order to come out on top of the Huskies, Marquette needs to see their defense step up and make smart decisions on offense. 

Here are the odds for this Big East matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Connecticut vs. Marquette Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

• Connecticut -4.5 (-110)
• Marquette +4.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Connecticut -195
• Marquette +165

Total: 141 (Over -110/Under -110)

Connecticut vs. Marquette Prediction and Pick

Even if Marquette were a better offensive team, they would still struggle to put up consistent points on this UConn defense. The Golden Eagles have just two players averaging double-digit scoring with Justin Lewis and Darryl Morsell. All in all, the team is averaging 72.8 points per game and lacks the resources to go off on offense tonight. 

To be fair, UConn is also dealing with a mess of problems on the offensive side of things too. Their loss to providence could have been avoided had they managed a bit better than 31.1 percent shooting on the night. They scored just 53 in that game and cannot expect to compete while shooting that poorly. The thing about being a defensive team is that you have to score enough points for your defense to work with. UConn just hasn’t been doing that. 

This game could become a defensive battle and both teams are in danger of falling off the pace early. I think this game might not be the most exciting, but that should keep the total down for us here. 

PICK: UConn-Marquette UNDER 141 (-110)