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Marquette vs. UConn Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Feb. 17 (Bet Underdog Golden Eagles)

By Reed Wallach

Feb 13, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek (11) goes to the
Feb 13, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek (11) goes to the / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
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Two teams with Final Four aspirations meet on Saturday afternoon.

Defending National Champions UConn look the part yet again, but will face a stiff test on Saturday when Tyler Kolek and the Marquette Golden Eagles head to Stoors, Connecticut. Both teams are in line to be a top two seed come March Madness, but who will show up on Saturday?

UConn is enjoying the naton's longest winning streak at 13 games while Marquette has won eight in a row. How should we bet this Big East showdown?

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Marquette vs. UConn Odds Odds, Spread and Total

UConn vs. Marquette Betting Trends

  • Marquette is 4-0-1 against the spread (ATS) this season
  • Marquette is 14-9-1 ATS this season
  • UConn is 15-10 ATS this season
  • Marquette has gone UNDER in 15 of 24 games this season

Marquette vs. UConn How to Watch

  • Date: Saturday, February 7th
  • Game Time: 3:00 PM EST
  • Venue: XL Center
  • How to Watch (TV): FOX
  • Marquette Record: 19-5
  • UConn Record: 23-2

Marquette vs. UConn Key Players to Watch

Marquette

Tyler Kolek: Kolek broke out of a mini-slump in by shooting nearly 48% from beyond the arc in the team's eight game winning streak. Marquette's biggest issue has been its perimeter shooting, but the team is humming offensively now as the team gets ready to face arguably the best team in the country.

UConn

Tristen Newton: The Huskies guard has done it all this season, scoring 15 points per game while grabbing nearly seven rebounds and six assists per game. He'll have his hands full on both sides against the most turnover-centric defense in Marquette as well as an elite guard in Kolek.

Marquette vs. UConn Prediction and Pick

This is a battle of the two best teams in the Big East, but I'll give the edge to Marquette keeping this one competitive.

This is a battle of contrasting styles as UConn is outside the top 300 nationally in terms of pace while Marquette is inside the top 100, and you are able to run on the Huskies, who are outside the top 200 in terms of points allowed per possession, according to ShotQuality.

I'm confident the Golden Eagles can speed up the Huskies because of the team's ability to turnover a shaky ball handling unit in UConn. The Huskies are eighth in Big East turnover percentage this season and will match up with Marquette, who is turning foes over at the highest clip in conference games at over 21%.

UConn is an elite rim defense, but with Marquette's emerging three-point shooting, I believe the pick-and-roll game between Kolek and Oso Ighodoro can lift big man Donovan Clingan away from the rim and get the offense going.

Lastly, it's been a smart endeavor to trust Marquette head coach Shaka Smart as an underdog. The head coach is 87-56-4 as a dog, and 56-26-2 ATS as a road pooch, according to Tanner McGrath's findings. I'll trust him once more to cash as an underdog.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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