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Villanova vs. Marquette Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Big East Tournament Quarterfinal

By Iain MacMillan

Jan 30, 2024; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles forward David Joplin (23)
Jan 30, 2024; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles forward David Joplin (23) / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
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If Villanova wants to make the NCAA Tournament, they'll almost certainly need to go on a deep run in the Big East Tournament. They did what they had to do against DePaul in the opening round, squeaking by them by a score of 58-57, but now have a huge task ahead of them in Marquette on Thursday night.

Marquette won the two meetings against Villanova this season and is no ranked as the No. 10 team in the country. Luckily for the Wildcats, Tyler Kolek is out tonight with an oblique injury which will give Villanova a fighting chance.

Let's dive into the odds for the game and then I'll give you my best bet.

Villanova vs. Marquette odds, spread, and total for Big East Tournament

Villanova vs. Marquette betting trends

  • The UNDER is 21-11 in Villanova games this season
  • Marquette is 18-12-1 against the spread this season
  • Marquette is 13-7 against the spread vs. Big East opponents

Villanova vs. Marquette how to watch

  • Date: Thursday, March 14
  • Game time: 9:30 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Madison Square Garden
  • How to watch (TV): FS1
  • Villanova record: 18-14 (10-10 in Big East)
  • Marquette record: 23-8 (14-6 in Big East)

Villanova vs. Marquette key players to watch

Villanova

Eric Dixon: Villanova lives and dies by the three ball and Eric Dixon shoots from beyond the arc more than anyone else on the team. If they want to go on a run in Big East tournament, they need Dixon to shoot better than 35.3% from beyond the arc which is what he shot to this point.

Marquette

Kam Jones: With Tyler Kolek out of the lineup, Marquette needs Kam Jones to step up in a big way. He's averaging 16.7 points per game and he's coming off a 30-point performance against Xavier. If he can keep up that level of play, Marquette will be tough to beat.

Villanova vs. Marquette prediction and pick

Even without Kolek, I just can't see how Villanova is going to be able to hang with Marquette. The Wildcats rank just 162nd in the country in effective field goal percentage and now they take on a Golden Eagles team that ranks 17th.

Kam Jones has stepped up in Kolek's absence and is coming off a 30-point game against Xavier. If he stays just as hot, Villanova will have no answer for Marquette.

Keep an eye on turnovers playing a big role in tonight's game as well. Marquette is one of the best teams at forcing turnovers, ranking 14th in the country in opponent turnovers per possession. That's bad news for the Wildcats who need to take advantage of every possession they get against the sharp-shooting Golden Eagles.

I'll lay the points with Marquette in this Big East Conference Tournament showdown.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

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