George Mason and Marquette both secured convincing opening-night wins in the round-robin Marquette Challenge tournament. However, despite Marquette's 40-point victory, my George Mason vs. Marquette predictions suggest there is still significant room for improvement, and that's why I believe Marquette will cover the spread on Friday night.
Continue reading for free college basketball picks on Friday, November 8.
George Mason vs Marquette prediction
My best bet
Marquette -12.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Marquette opens this season by hosting the Marquette Challenge, a round-robin tournament between Marquette, George Mason, Stony Brook, and Central Michigan.
Marquette won the first game of the tournament rather convincingly, but tonight brings something a little more special.
Adding some juice to this game is the fact that this game will not be played from the Fiserv Forum (the Golden Eagles' usual home court), but from the Al McGuire Center right on campus. The game is also only available to students, and the late start (8:15) ensures those students will be a bit more "rowdier" than usual.
And despite winning by 40 points on Wednesday night, Marquette shot just 29% from three - an entirely six percent worse than their clip last year (35.2%).
And while George Mason's 17 point win over North Carolina Central was a strong start to the season, it took 41 trips to the free throw line to even maintain that margin.
Twelve players took the court for George Mason in that game, but only one (Darius Maddox) made a three.
Without a perimeter presence, assuming George Mason can't get to the line 40 times, and especially given the potentially rowdy atmosphere, this might be a long night for George Mason.
George Mason vs Marquette same-game parlay
Marquette -12.5
Kam Jones Over 21.5 points
Darius Maddox Under 2.5 assists
Marquette's Kam Jones scored a game-high 32 points on Wednesday night, shooting 14-16 from the field including 4-6 from three.
His point prop sits at 21.5 tonight, more than four points above his average of 17.2 last year. But Jones has seen his involvement and his scoring increase each of his four years, and he improved to a 40%+ shooter from three on high volume (6.5 attempts per game).
George Mason's 34.7% three-point percentage allowed was bottom-third in the nation last year, and that was of course against teams typically weaker than Marquette.
On the other side, George Mason relied most on Darius Maddox as he scored a game-high 17 points, but he didn't exactly generate much for others as he finished with zero assists.
His line sits at 2.5 tonight, which is a bit peculiar as he hit that mark all of just six times last year across 29 games.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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George Mason vs Marquette odds
George Mason vs Marquette live odds
George Mason vs Marquette opening odds
- Spread: George Mason +12.5 | Marquette -12.5
- Moneyline: George Mason +550 | Marquette -800
- Over/Under: Over 149 | Under 149
Odds courtesy of bet365
George Mason vs Marquette betting trend to know
Marquette went 21-15-1 ATS last year, good for a 58.3% cover rate that was 58th in the nation last year. Find more college basketball betting trends for George Mason vs. Marquette.
How to watch George Mason vs Marquette
| Location: | Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI |
| Date: | Friday, 11-8-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Peacock |
George Mason vs Marquette key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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