Providence Friars (21-12) vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (24-8)
March 15, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Marquette Golden Eagles -2.5; Over/Under: +137
(Get latest betting odds)
The Providence Friars and the Marquette Golden Eagles meet Friday in the college basketball Big East Tournament Semifinals at Madison Square Garden. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Providence vs. Marquette Prediction.
Providence Team Preview
The Providence Friars come into this game looking to get to the title game after upending Creighton 78-73 in their quarterfinal matchup. Devin Carter leads the Friars with 19.4 PPG and 3.6 APG along with 8.6 RPG while Josh Oduro has 16.3 PPG with 7.3 RPG to cap off the pair of double-digit scorers for Providence so far this year. Ticket Gaines has 9 PPG and 4.2 RPG and Jayden Pierre has 8.7 PPG with 3.2 APG as well on the year. As a team, Providence is averaging 72.8 PPG on 44.8% shooting from the field, 33.3% from three and 71.1% from the foul line this season.
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Marquette Team Preview
The Marquette Golden Eagles booked their spot in the semis thanks to a 71-65 win over Villanova last time out. 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.
Providence vs. Marquette Prediction
I’m on Providence here. Is it always the wisest idea to go against a Shaka Smart-led team in March? Not necessarily, but the fact of the matter is that Providence needs the win far more in this matchup than Marquette does and Providence really showed me they can compete in their win over a solid Creighton team. Marquette is still missing Tyler Kolek from what I’m seeing, and I think Providence throws everything they have at Marquette. The Friars are on the edge of the bubble here and a win would almost solidify their spot in the NCAA tournament. I’ll side with Providence here.
