Villanova vs Marquette Odds, Picks and Predictions: Wildcats Won't Go Down Easy

Two Big East rivals seeming heading in different directions will face off on Monday afternoon as the Villanova Wildcats visit the Marquette Golden Eagles. 

Villanova is coming off a win over DePaul, its fifth win in its last six games. Marquette has lost two in a row and three of five, yet the Golden Eagles remain the favorite in the college basketball odds for this afternoon’s game.

Regardless of recent results, both teams are capable tournament-level squads with outstanding defenses. We’ll look at what that means for bettors in our free college basketball picks for Villanova vs. Marquette on January 15. 

Villanova vs Marquette best odds

Villanova vs Marquette picks and predictions

Today’s game has all the hallmarks of another tightly played contest between these Big East rivals. While the Marquette Golden Eagles have won each of the last four meetings between these schools, all four games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and three have finished with totals of Under 140 points.

There’s not much to suggest this meeting will go much differently. Marquette may be the slightly better team and have home-court advantage, but the Villanova Wildcats have been playing the better basketball of late. Eric Dixon (15.3 points per game) might be the best player on the court, and the senior forward should keep Villanova in it until the final minutes at worst. 

Another factor that makes this a tight game: Villanova is allowing just 65.1 points per game, while the Golden Eagles hold opponents to an average of 67.2 points. Given the Wildcats’ slow pace of play, it's Marquette’s number that stands out as more impressive, but the fact remains these are both top-tier defenses at the national level.

This has shown for bettors this season, as the Under has a positive mark for both teams. Each school has played to that trend lately as well. Villanova has hit the Under in six of its last eight, going below totals of 143.5 on all six of those occasions. Marquette has been similarly stingy, hitting the Under in eight of its last 10 games. 

It’s not as though these teams can’t score. The Golden Eagles have three players averaging double figures and put up a solid 76.8 points per game, while Villanova comes in with an average of 74.2 points per night. However, those are middling numbers that pale in comparison to the consistently great defensive play we’ve seen out of both sides this year.

That leads us to the obvious question for tonight’s game: where is the scoring going to come from? Neither team has a singular elite scorer who can power through opponents regardless of talent or scheme. Neither school is going to try to push the pace to an extent that will lead to a huge number of extra possessions and more points. 

Oddsmakers have set tonight’s total at 144.5 points. That may look like a reasonable number based on how much these teams score on average, but the level of defense on display tonight should make it difficult for either side to get their normal looks on offense.

This will be a tough, close game where every possession will be critical, and like many of the recent matchups between these teams, the defenses will dominate.

My best bet: Under 144.5 (-110 at Caesars)

Villanova vs Marquette same-game parlay

Under 144.5

Villanova +5.5

Kam Jones Under 14.5 points

+405 at DraftKings

I’m backing the Under in what should be a close game tonight, and that gives me a few ideas on how to build a same-game parlay for this matchup.

That starts with adding in a bet on Villanova to cover the spread. I’m not confident the Wildcats will pull off an upset on the road, but in a tight game against a struggling Marquette team, 5.5 points feel like too much to turn down. 

We’ll round out our SGP by taking Kam Jones to come in Under his 14.5-point scoring total. The Marquette junior is averaging 14.9 points per game this year but has only gone Over the 14.5-point number in one of his last seven games. With Jones having to contend with a strong Villanova defense, I like the Under.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Villanova vs Marquette spread and Over/Under analysis

Marquette opened tonight’s game as a 5-point favorite over Villanova. That number has lengthened slightly as most books, with sites now posting the Golden Eagles as anywhere from -5.5 to -6.5. 

Villanova has played reasonably well against the spread this year, with the Wildcats putting up a 9-7 ATS mark. Marquette is just below .500 for bettors, coming in at 7-8-1 ATS on the season.

While I do think that Marquette is the stronger of the two teams when we look at their long-term prospects this season, it’s hard for me to completely ignore how the Golden Eagles have been struggling as of late.

Villanova isn’t an easy opponent to play, and this should be a low-scoring affair, making it harder for the Golden Eagles to cover a significant spread. I’m leaning towards Villanova to cover.

The total for this game opened at 142.5 points. Bettors have pushed that number up, and various books are now offering the Over/Under at anywhere between 143.5 and 144.5 points. You can get -110 on either side at the higher numbers, or take a slight premium on the Under at -105 for the 143.5 total.

Both teams have played below the number for most of the season. The Under is a solid 9-7 in Villanova’s games but has shined when Marquette plays, posting an 11-5 edge in the Golden Eagles’ outings. 

These are two teams that are known for their defensive prowess. They’ve had a history of playing tight games against each other, and have generally been in low-scoring games as of late this season. Put it all together and I’m expecting both sides to play to form this afternoon. I’m backing the Under.

Villanova vs Marquette betting trend to know

The Under is 11-3 in Marquette’s last 14 games overall. Find more college basketball betting trends for Villanova vs Marquette.

Villanova vs Marquette game info

Villanova vs Marquette key injuries

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