Marquette vs. UConn NCAA Basketball Odds, Preview and Prediction (Archive)
Two ranked Big East teams on very different trajectories meet for a rematch at Hartford’s XL Center on Tuesday night. Which way to lean at the top-rated sportsbooks?
Marquette has won eight of its last nine, including home and road wins over Villanova. The Golden Eagles became the first Big East team to sweep the season series with Nova in the last five years. Marquette is now third in the conference race, at 16-7 overall, 8-4 in Big East games.
A game back of Marquette and tied in the loss column is UConn. The Huskies beat Marquette in Milwaukee back in December, but they’ve lost their last two games, including an 11-point loss to an undermanned Villanova team the last time out. UConn stands at 15-6, 6-4 in fourth place in the Big East.
Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Connecticut Huskies
Tuesday, February 08, 2022 – 06:30 PM EST at XL Center
New Look Marquette
The Golden Eagles lost to UConn at home, 78-70, back on Dec. 21, which marks the low point of Marquette’s season so far. It was the third game in a four-game Marquette losing streak that included the Golden Eagles’ first three Big East games, as well as three home games.
Marquette was missing second-leading scorer Darryl Morsell, who averages 13.5 ppg for the Golden Eagles. Morsell was held out due to COVID protocols, a move that impacted Marquette on both ends since he’s one of the team’s top shutdown defenders.
The Golden Eagles hit just 5-of-15 from three-point range in the loss, and they were just 27-of-93, .290, from three during the losing streak.
Since then, Morsell has returned and Marquette has heated up from outside. The Golden Eagles have won eight of nine, with a two-point loss on the road at first-place Providence as the only blemish.
The Golden Eagles have hit 70-of-166, .422, from three since the losing streak and now rank in the top 90 of the country in three-point accuracy. And that includes a 5-of-19 night in the loss at Providence. Prior to that game, the Golden Eagles were hitting .447 from three on the winning streak.
Morsell has also gotten back to 100 percent. Over his last seven games, he’s scored in double figures six times, averaging 14.9 ppg. He’s also hit .414 on his three-point attempts.
Clearly, with Morsell back and the shots falling, Marquette is a new team.
“They’re more cohesive,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “(New head coach) Shaka (Smart)’s done an unbelievable job. They’re better defensively than when we saw them the first time. They’ve got a great vibe going right now, too. They’ve outperformed expectations for the season. Everyone’s just feeling great right now for their team.”
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Trying to Get Back
While the December game marked a low point for Marquette, it was a high point for a UConn team that was about to head downhill. The Huskies went on a COVID break and were forced to postpone two games immediately after the Marquette win. After an 18-day break, they returned to the floor with a loss. They’ve gone 5-2 since then, but even the wins heralded a problem on the horizon.
UConn blew a 10-point lead in the final minutes against St. John’s and escaped in overtime at home. The Huskies also shot just 2-of-15 from three and .370 overall to slip past 2-9 DePaul. Since the Marquette game, Villanova is the only team UConn has played that has a winning record in the Big East. The other Huskies wins over that stretch have been against 0-10 Georgetown and two against 4-8 Butler.
UConn will also probably be without big man Akok Akok. The 6-foot-9 junior is battling a foot sprain and has been wearing a walking boot. He hasn’t practiced in a week, and Hurley said he was “unlikely” to play.
The Pick
In addition to the momentum both teams are showing at the moment, the matchup seems to favor Marquette. While the Golden Eagles are tearing it up from three, UConn is No. 221 in the nation in three-point defense. The last four opponents have hit 28-of-64, .438, against the Huskies.
For your college basketball picks, look for Marquette to hit enough threes to keep the game close and threaten a road win over reeling UConn.
NCAAB Pick: Marquette +6 (-102) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.