The Marquette Golden Eagles and the UConn Huskies meet Saturday in the college basketball Big East Tournament Championship at Madison Square Garden. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Marquette vs. UConn Prediction.
Marquette Team Preview
The Marquette Golden Eagles come into the semifinals after knocking off Providence 79-68. Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring with 16.7 PPG along with 2.6 RPG and 2.3 APG while Tyler Kolek has 15 PPG with 4.7 RPG and a team-high 7.6 APG to lead Marquette in the assist department. Oso Ighodaro has 14.4 PPG with a team-high 7.2 RPG to lead the Golden Eagles in rebounding while David Joplin has 10.7 PPG with 3.5 RPG, rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Marquette up to this point in the year. As a team, Marquette is averaging 79.2 PPG on 48.4% shooting from the field, 35.6% from three and 70.8% from the foul line this season.
UConn Team Preview
The UConn Huskies come into the semis after a 95-90 win over St. John’s last time out. Tristien Newton leads the Huskies across the board with 14.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 5.8 APG while Cam Spencer has 14.7 PPG with 4.5 RPG and 3.5 APG. Alex Karaban has 14.2 PPG with 5.1 RPG while Donovan Clingan has 12.4 PPG with 6.9 RPG and Stephon Castle also has 11.2 PPG and 4.5 RPG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for UConn up to this point in the year. As a team, UConn is averaging 81.3 PPG on 49.5% shooting from the field, 36.5% from three and 73.4% from the foul line this season.
Marquette vs. UConn Prediction
I’m on UConn here. The Golden Eagles have been rock solid for the better part of the season and it’s unwise at times to bet against Shaka Smart in March. But the Huskies look like a team on a mission and even though they let things get dicey against St. John’s, I think the Huskies come in focused with a shot at the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament still within reach. I think that UConn finishes what they started and get a win and cover here.