Big East NCAAB Prediction and Odds: Marquette Awaits Test
- Get the best Big East basketball odds at BetUS.
- The home teams look to deliver in both Big East games on Tuesday.
- Read on for my top college basketball picks for Big East teams this week.
There are just three Big East teams remaining with perfect conference records and that will change this week as Marquette will square off with Georgetown. It will be the only game for the Golden Eagles this week. When looking at the college basketball trends, Marquette is 5-3-1 against the spread as a home favorite this season.
Defending Big East and national champion UConn goes on the road to face Villanova and Georgetown. The Huskies had to rally from 14 points in the second half to stave off visiting Providence’s upset bid as the Friars barely missed making college basketball news.
It was the first game for the Huskies without injured freshman Liam McNeeley. It is uncertain when McNeeley, who is dealing with an ankle injury, will return but he likely won’t return until late January at the earliest.
Marquette and UConn are the two betting favorites to win the Big East title after meeting in the 2024 Big East tournament title game.
UConn is tied for sixth at +1600 in the odds of winning the national title. Marquette is tied for 12th at +4000 in the championship odds.
Let’s check out my best college basketball picks this week for the Big East.
Top 3 Weekly College Basketball Predictions for Big East
1. Can St. John’s Cover as Road Team for First Time This Season?
The home team has won four of the last five games between St. John’s and Xavier. Will that trend continue when the teams meet on Tuesday?
The Musketeers just got veteran forward Zach Freemantle back after yet another injury and that could change the sports betting odds.
BIG EAST battle ⚔️#RedStorm pic.twitter.com/Lx6TUGuhC3
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 5, 2025
The Red Storm is coming off a win over visiting Butler as RJ Luis had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Xavier lost to Georgetown the last time out when the Musketeers connected on just 26% of their 3-point attempts.
Something to consider when making Big East basketball picks is that 11 of Xavier’s first 15 games went under the total, as have eight of the first 15 games for the Red Storm. It won’t be a surprise to see another St. John’s-Xavier clash to land under.
Bet This Pick: St. John’s vs Xavier Under
2. Game of the Week: Georgetown at Marquette
It is not too surprising to see Marquette sitting pretty with a 4-0 record in the Big East. However, few who bet online could have predicted that Georgetown would win its first three conference games after going 2-18 in the Big East a season ago. Both conference wins came against a DePaul team that failed to win a Big East game during the 2023-24 season.
Per Georgetown vs Marquette stats, the Golden Eagles have won six straight meetings and covered against the college basketball odds in five of those games. The Hoyas look to change that on Tuesday.
Harvard transfer Malik Mack had 26 points in Friday’s win over Xavier. Freshman Thomas Sorber is the top scorer for the Hoyas. Marquette senior guard Kam Jones has scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games.
The last time Georgetown played at Marquette, the Golden Eagles were listed by the BetUS sportsbook as a 17-point favorite and covered easily in the 81-51 victory in 2023.
Bet on Marquette to Win the Big East (-105)
3. Villanova Star Eric Dixon A Top Player Prop Option
There is always something special when original Big East teams meet even if the conference has expanded into regions outside the Eastern seaboard.
There are two of those games on Saturday. Providence looks to build on a strong showing at UConn when Seton Hall comes to town. However, it is the Villanova-St. John’s matchup that has our attention.
Villanova’s Eric Dixon is the leading scorer among Division I players at 25.9 points per game. He has at least 24 points in each of his last seven games. He was pretty quiet in two games against St. John’s last season. Dixon is the reigning Big East Player of the Week.
🚨 Eric Dixon has been named @BIGEASTMBB Player of the Week 🚨@BigEballer_ in a 2-0 Week:
26.5 ppg | 4.5 rpg | 3.5 apg | 51.5% FG pic.twitter.com/FuwN63oJvq— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) January 6, 2025
When making Big East player prop picks, looking at the scoring and 3-point options for Dixon is a good place to start.
Questions of the Day
Which Big East team has had the most games land over the total?
Villanova has seen 11 of its first 15 games land over the total.
How many Big East teams are undefeated at home?
Three. St. John’s is 10-0 at home while Marquette and UConn are also perfect at home.
