The Marquette Golden Eagles may come in on a bit of a low note after dropping three of their last six games, but considering they play in the Big East and can claim all three losses came to top seeds in this year’s tournament field in UConn and Creigton, their recent form looks a bit better on paper.
They’ll surely be hoping that bad form is nothing more than a tough schedule, anyway, running into a Western Kentucky team here which came out of nowhere to lay waste to the field in the Conference USA tournament.
Learn more about this matchup as Marquette vs. Western Kentucky square off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. We’ll also find the top ways to use Round 1 March Madness betting promos.
Marquette vs. Western Kentucky Odds
Marquette-WKU lines were found at bet365 Sportsbook and were current as of Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Marquette (-1200), Western Kentucky (+750)
- Spread: Marquette -14.5 (-110), Western Kentucky +14.5 (-110)
- Total points: Over 157 (-110), Under 157 (-110)
Despite the Hilltoppers’ strong ranks across the board in many defensive categories, this has all the makings of a one-sided affair given their dreadful strength of schedule during the season, which is to be expected from a school out of such a small conference.
Still, with several losses in recent weeks and some games that became far too close for comfort, the Golden Eagles certainly can’t let their guards down here and may not be deserving of a number quite this large.
🔮 Marquette vs. Western Kentucky Prediction
Marquette 72, Western Kentucky 65
The Hilltoppers’ neverending assault with tempo and aggression in passing lanes should kick this game into overdrive and present an incredibly watchable affair. The Golden Eagles should have their hands full against a Western Kentucky team which has picked up its 3-point shooting over the last six games, too, considering that’s been a weakness of Marquette’s this year.
With that, I do expect plenty of points and while the more accomplished team and the one with a more efficient and balanced offensive attack will ultimately shine through, a disruptive Hilltoppers defense proves to make this one a difficult game for the Golden Eagles and one which should feature the underdogs heavily as Marquette goes cold and misses having someone to carry the scoring load.
✅ Marquette vs. Western Kentucky Best Bet
Western Kentucky +14.5 (-110)
bet365 Sportsbook • 1 Unit
Marquette is a team I’m looking to fade as long as it survives in this tournament, which may not be too long. It doesn’t feature any one player who can carry the load offensively when the going gets tough, and that’s what’s helped teams get into games late and make fans of the school sweat.
Western Kentucky is just outside the top 60 in effective field goal percentage on defense and has done a much better job defending the interior than you’d expect out of a team that’s so undersized. That should help matters, but what I am looking at is the drastically different styles of play.
The Hilltoppers can force turnovers better than most teams in the field and play at one of the quickest tempos in the country, getting shots up just 15.3 seconds into the shot clock on average.
Their ability to press and get steals which they can convert into points will be interesting to watch here against a Marquette team which has now averaged eight turnovers per game over its last five and turned it over 10 times against UConn, all while relying heavily on the outside shot.
WKU can stop the three and get steals, and it should have a way in here. Don’t trust Marquette to make quick work of this underdog despite all the tournament success Shaka Smart has enjoyed.
💰 Marquette vs. Western Kentucky Betting Promos
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