The Marquette Golden Eagles (9-10, 5-8 Big East) face a tough task on the road against the #5 Villanova Wildcats (12-2, 7-1 Big East) in a Big East Conference showdown on Wednesday night. Marquette will look to square the season series up after suffering an 85-68 setback at home against these Wildcats prior to Christmas. The tipoff for Wednesday’s tilt is at 9 p.m. EST inside Finneran Pavillion in Villanova, PA. Villanova is an 11-point favorite in the conference tilt against the Golden Eagles, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette heads on the road for what will be a five-game road trip spanning an entire month before the Golden Eagles play their final home game of the season on March 6th. However, Villanova is the only team that is currently ranked that the Golden Eagles will face over the final six games. The Golden Eagles sit in a tie for seventh place in the conference standings.
The Golden Eagles roll out a balanced offensive attack that averages 71.5 points per game behind 45.2% shooting from the floor. Marquette’s defense allows opponents to average 69.8 points per game, shooting 40.5% from the field.
Headlining the MU’s offense is a trio of players, all averaging between 12 and 13 points. Sophomore guard D.J. Carton is the leader of the group, scoring 12.7 points per game. Freshman forward Dawson Garcia (12.5 ppg) and senior guard Koby McEwen (12.3 ppg) round out the scoring trio.
Marquette comes into the midweek battle with a 6-13 record against the spread this season. The Golden Eagles 1-5 ATS on the road and 3-10 in conference play.
What to Know – Villanova Wildcats
Villanova is tied atop the Big East standings but has played nearly half the games of co-leader Creighton. The Wildcats had six-straight conference games postponed during a nearly month-long stretch, meaning the Wildcats will try to play eight games in less than a month.
The Wildcats pour in 77.9 points per game on the offensive end while surrendering 67.9 points to opponents defensively. Villanova shoots 45.6% from the floor and holds teams to 45.5% defensively.
All of Nova’s starting five consistently score in double figures, led by sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl averaging 15.3 points per game. Senior guard Collin Gillespie is second on the team sporting a 14.4 average, an outside threat. Villanova’s starting five accounts for 83% of the Wildcats’ scoring.
Villanova is 8-6 ATS this season with just 14 games played under their belt. Nova is just 2-3 ATS in home games and 5-3 in Big East matchups.
The Pick is In
Villanova outscored Marquette by 11 to pull away in the second half behind 22 points from Gillespie. Marquette shot a robust 51.0% from the floor but lost the turnover battle 17-4. The Golden Eagles have dropped three of their last four and now face a grueling five-game road stretch. Who knows how much left the Eagles have in the tank, but the Wildcats are well rested and should handle Marquette with ease on their home floor.
The Pick: Villanova -11
