Western Kentucky vs Marquette Prediction College Basketball Picks 3/22/24
Marquette (25-9) vs Western Kentucky (22-11)
Game Info: Friday, March 22, 2024 at 2:00 pm (Gainbridge Fieldhouse)
Betting Odds: Marquette -14 -- Over/Under: 159.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: TBS
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Marquette Golden Eagles meet Friday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Western Kentucky vs. Marquette Prediction.
Western Kentucky Team Preview
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers come into the NCAA tournament as the C-USA champions, finishing the year 22-11 overall. Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers in scoring and assists with 14.8 PPG and 2.5 APG along with 3.2 RPG while Brandon Newman has 10.2 PPG and a team-high 5.7 RPG to lead the Hilltoppers in rebounding and Rodney Howard has 10.3 PPG with 4.8 RPG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for WKU so far this season while Tyrone Marshall has 8.6 PPG with 4.5 RPG and Khristian Lander has 8.8 PPG. As a team, Western Kentucky is averaging 80.5 PPG on 46.7% shooting from the field, 33.8% from three and 71.2% from the foul line this season.
Marquette Team Preview
The Marquette Golden Eagles come into the NCAA tournament repping the Big East at 25-9 overall this season. Matched up against UConn on Saturday, the Golden Eagles weren’t able to do much damage. Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring with 16.7 PPG along with 2.6 RPG and 2.3 APG while Tyler Kolek has 15 PPG with 4.7 RPG and a team-high 7.6 APG to lead Marquette in the assist department. Oso Ighodaro has 14.4 PPG with a team-high 7.2 RPG to lead the Golden Eagles in rebounding while David Joplin has 10.7 PPG with 3.5 RPG, rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Marquette up to this point in the year. As a team, Marquette is averaging 79.2 PPG on 48.4% shooting from the field, 35.6% from three and 70.8% from the foul line this season.
Western Kentucky vs. Marquette Prediction
I’m on WKU here. Not my favorite game on Friday’s board, but the Golden Eagles may be the better team. That being said though, Western Kentucky is no slouch and they have a defense that can ugly the game up enough to keep themselves in this one. Marquette has had lapses defensively in recent weeks and I think that while Marquette likely wins, that WKU keeps it within the number. Marquette is a big favorite in this one, and if they go though, the Golden Eagles will meet Colorado or Florida.
Chris’s Pick Western Kentucky +14
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo

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