Providence vs Marquette Odds, Picks and Predictions: Jones Shows Off in Top-25 Battle

One of the night's best matchups features two ranked opponents in a Big East battle when Providence heads to Wisconsin to face Marquette. 

Marquette has been one of my deep horse Final Four teams, and I like the Golden Eagles' makeup and the ability to win games in different ways. They enter this game with a 14-5 record as winners of four of their last five.

As for Providence, the Friars almost became a cult following for college basketball fans last season because of their unsustainable shotmaking that delivered them a successful season. They have looked to build on that this year and have gotten off to a 14-4 start.

What's the best bet for this one? Find out in our free college basketball picks and predictions for Providence vs. Marquette on January 18. 

Providence vs Marquette best odds

Providence vs Marquette picks and predictions

There are a lot of moving pieces here that breed some uncertainty. 

These teams are evenly matched and have already played a game this season where Providence ultimately prevailed in double overtime. On that front, we have the "revenge" angle for a Marquette team that's coming home in need of a win. However, Providence is also reeling from a loss and has typically responded well in those spots.

Some injury concerns need to be noted. Bryce Hopkins, the best player on Providence's team, is questionable with an ankle injury. Another good scorer for the Friars, Jared Bynum, may also not play. With so much fluidity, I will stick to backing what I feel best about in this matchup, and that's the Marquette offense. More specifically, I'm going to target a player prop. 

Kam Jones is the guy I'm targeting, and I'm not sure I've even lost a bet on a Kam Jones Over this season. He's an elite shotmaker and is the best scoring option on one of the best offenses in the country. In this matchup, Jones mainly benefits from a poor Providence defense that allows nearly 50% eFG to spot-up shooters. That contributed to why he scored 24 points last time these two scored off — just one point shy of his season-high.

Other than Devin Carter, there are no players on Providence that can effectively slow down Jones. This aspect makes the status of Jared Bynum loom much more prominent too. If Bynum can't go, more of an offensive load will be placed on Carter's shoulders.

How does that affect his effort on the other end or his minutes in general? There are many questions to ask, but the result of all of them is an eventual net positive for Jones.

Jones has generally performed well in these types of matchups this season. Aside from the previous matchup between these two sides, he's seen bad spot-up defenses in Notre Dame and St Jones. In both of those matchups, he's gone Over this point total.

I trust that Jones will continue rolling with those trends tonight.

My best bet: Kam Jones Over 15.5 points (-120 at FanDuel)

Providence vs Marquette spread analysis

This number feels too high to back Marquette at the moment, but I'm not jumping on Providence either. 

We're stuck in a wait-and-see mode to see if Hopkins suits up. As I said, Bynum's importance is meaningful, but it pales compared to Hopkins. Marquette is weak defensively in the post allowing nearly 0.90 points per possession on post-ups, and also don't have much of a presence on the backboard. Hopkins is well-suited to exploit that, but without him, I'm not sure Providence packs enough of a scoring punch to keep up.

If Hopkins is declared unable to play, I'll gladly back the 7.5 points and take Marquette to roll. However, if he appears on the court, I'll stay away and see if I can get the Eagles at a better price live in-game. I lean toward Marquette winning even with a healthy Hopkins, but I would need closer to 4.5 points on the spread to fully back them.

Providence vs Marquette Over/Under analysis

The total for this matchup is 150.5 across the board, and my projections sit the number at 151. Thus, this is a firm stay away for me. This game will be played at a high-tempo with plenty of scoring. Marquette runs a sensational offense, and that's why the program is ranked third in offensive efficiency at KenPom.

On the other side of the ball, Marquette has shown its inability to defend inside. If Hopkins is a go, he can probably name his number against an interior defense that still needs to improve.

Providence vs Marquette betting trend to know

The Golden Eagles are 5-1 in their last six games ATS. Find more College basketball betting trends for Providence vs. Marquette.

Providence vs Marquette game info

Providence vs Marquette key injuries

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