Big East Foes Collide
The No. 14 Marquette Golden Eagles try to keep pace in a tight Big East race when they host the Villanova Wildcats for a conference clash on Wednesday night. Marquette is coming off a rout of DePaul on Saturday and is tied for the top spot in the Big East standings with Xavier and Providence.
Villanova had a two-game winning streak snapped with a home loss to Providence on Sunday, putting it in seventh place in the conference, a half-game behind sixth-place Connecticut. Both teams need a win to improve their standing in the league, so check out our in-depth preview of this contest to help you with your betting online.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for Villanova vs Marquette. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
Villanova Gets Boost in Loss
The Villanova Wildcats were unable to get the win against Providence on Sunday, but they did get a lift from the return to action of senior guard Justin Moore. It was the season debut for Moore, who suffered an Achilles tendon tear in an Elite Eight win over Houston in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
“It was great to be out there with my teammates,” Moore said after Sunday’s loss. “They were excited for me, and I was excited. We just wanted to focus on playing harder than the other team and competing.”
Moore finished with five points, four rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes of action. Moore averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 36 games in 2021-22 before suffering his injury.
Senior guard Caleb Daniels has been the top point producer for the Wildcats this season, averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Forward Eric Dixon is also a dangerous player, averaging 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 50.4% from the floor.
Joplin Breaks Out for Marquette
The Marquette Golden Eagles have a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging in double figures. It was the player with the lowest of those averages, sophomore forward David Joplin, who scored 28 points in a win over DePaul on Saturday.
Joplin came into the game averaging 9.7 points but hit eight 3-pointers in 25 minutes off the bench to score a career high. Joplin is now averaging 10.5 points and shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring with 16.0 points per game, hitting 49.1% from the floor. He had just seven points against DePaul after averaging 21.5 points in the previous two contests.
Sophomore guard Tyler Kolek is third in the nation in assists per game with 8.0, and he’s also coming off an outstanding game against DePaul. Kolek nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, throwing in three steals as well.
Villanova vs Marquette Game Injuries
Villanova vs Marquette Head-To-Head
The Marquette Golden Eagles are on a three-game winning streak in their rivalry with Villanova, though the Wildcats hold the all-time edge in games between the conference rivals, 22-13. The Golden Eagles earned their second straight road victory against the Wildcats with a two-point victory on Dec. 31.
Marquette has an all-time home record of 7-6 against Villanova. The college basketball lines for Wednesday’s contest are favoring the Golden Eagles to improve on that record with a win.
Villanova vs Marquette Game Information
- Game: Villanova (10-11, 4-6 Big East) vs Marquette (17-5, 9-2 Big East)
- Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
- Day/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 8:30 p.m.
- Villanova vs Marquette Live Stream: TBS.com
Villanova vs Marquette Betting Lines
Villanova vs Marquette Picks & Prediction
The Villanova Wildcats are starting to get healthier, but they just don’t have the consistency yet that the Marquette Golden Eagles have shown this season. Look for the Golden Eagles to have an easier time with getting a victory over the Wildcats than in the previous matchup.
When doing your college basketball betting, take Marquette to win and cover at home.
Villanova is listed at +215 in our college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $215 on Villanova, you have a chance to win $xx. Marquette is -265, offering a chance to win $38 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Villanova a 31.75% chance to win, with Marquette at 72.60%.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
Villanova vs Marquette Trends
Villanova vs Marquette Edge
Villanova vs Marquette Results
Villanova vs Marquette Game Summary
