The No. 23 Marquette Golden Eagles (14-4, 6-1 Big East) battle the No. 11 Xavier Musketeers (14-3, 6-0) Sunday. Tip from Cintas Center is set for noon ET (FOX). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Marquette vs. Xavier odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Musketeers beat the Creighton Bluejays 90-87 Wednesday, covering as 2-point home favorites on 2 last-second free throws. Xavier is 10-6-1 against the spread (ATS) this season and 5-1 ATS in its last 6. The Musketeers rank 8th in points per game (84.4) and 3rd in FG percentage (51%).
The Golden Eagles beat UConn 82-76 Wednesday as 2-point home underdogs. Marquette is 12-5-1 ATS on the season and has covered 5 in a row. Its strength is also offense, ranking 14th in points per game (83.1) and 7th in FG percentage (50.2%).
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Marquette at Xavier odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:52 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Marquette +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Xavier -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Marquette +3.5 (-110) | Xavier -3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 164.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Marquette at Xavier picks and predictions
Prediction
Xavier 84, Marquette 81
Moneyline
PASS.
These odds are just outside of playable with Xavier 9-1 at home. Neither is worth the risk.
Against the spread
LEAN MARQUETTE +3.5 (-110).
The Golden Eagles have been terrific in this position. They are 4-1 ATS as the road team. Xavier is just 5-4-1 ATS at home. They are also 2-0 ATS against ranked teams while Xavier is 2-1-1 ATS.
Lastly, Marquette is 6-1 ATS against Big East opponents while Xavier is 5-1 ATS. Both sides have been solid ATS this season, but Marquette has the slight edge in its season-long performance.
For a small unit, back MARQUETTE +3.5 (-110).
Over/Under
BET OVER 164.5 (-110).
Both Xavier and Marquette will want to push the pace. Xavier ranks 63rd in the nation in FG attempts per game (60.4) while Marquette sits 27th (62).
The Musketeers are 13-3-1 O/U this season while Marquette is 11-6-1 O/U. Marquette has gone Over in 5 of its last 6. With a total near this, it went Over 158.5 in a 96-85 win over St. John’s.
Xavier has gone Over in 3 straight games as well and in 7 of its last 10. Both teams are rolling offensively and rank in the top 15 in points per game while having lacking defenses.
This is a high total, but ultimately it makes sense to back the OVER 164.5 (-110).
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