The showdown between Market (22-9, 13-7 Big East) and Xavier (21-10, 13-7) on Thursday is a massive one.
While both teams want to have strong resumes and are on a stable footing to participate in the NCAA Tournament, the truth is that early losses in the Big East Tournament could potentially spell out trouble on either side.
For Marquette, the fifth seeded, that trouble could probably be in the form of a drop in seed (probably a play-in game), but fourth seed Xavier could have the bubble bursting with loss.
In addition to the plot, there is the fact that the betting market considers these two teams equal, with Marquette sitting as a 2.5-point favorite at the time of writing.
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Xavier vs. Marquette Big East Tournament Odds
| team | Spread it | Money | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette | -2.5 (-110) | -140 | O144.5 (-110) |
| Xavier | +2.5 (-110) | +120 | U144.5 (-110) |
Xavier vs. Marquette Big East Tournament Betting Preview
This is a match between two teams heading in opposite directions.
Marquette has lost three of his last five games, but Xavier has run lying down the stretch, collecting seven wins on spins, putting itself in a decent position, and earning an astonishing bid.
Musketeers still have something to do, but they at least have themselves in the bubble of what seemed like a lost season that was too long ago.
This sets interesting difficulties for handicappers.
Is this the situation where you want to back up a team that gets heated up at the right time?
Or is this a classic shopping spot on the Marquette side ranked within the top 10 for most of the season?
In this case, the latter appears to hold more value.
Do you bet on college basketball?
Bettors tend to flock to hotter teams in these situations, especially when they have more plays than their opponents, which will make their prices less banged a bit.
Xavier vs. Marquette Big East Tournament Prediction
It seems like what's going on here, as Marquette is a one-score favorite over teams that were considered run rather than that long ago.
Final prediction: Marquette-2.5 (-110, Fanatics Sportsbook)
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Michael Lubov is a patient and abundant islander fan, but is a long-time for-profit sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters acquire a pool of brackets, find long shots, and learn how to win the market in mainstream and niche sports.
