Dan Hurley’s two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies never quite played themselves onto the bubble this regular season, but with six losses in Big East play and two games remaining, they’re out of the AP Top 25 and not likely to grab a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Still, the Huskies have time to get hot and Hurley is always a threat once the calendar turns to March. After winning two straight over Georgetown and Providence, UConn could make a statement with a home victory over Marquette on Wednesday night in Storrs.
Last time these two teams met, the Golden Eagles, then the No. 9 team in the country, fell 77-69 at home win in Milwaukee. That game, which UConn won without star freshman Liam McNeeley, started a three-game losing streak for Shaka Smart’s group. Marquette is currently second in the Big East, even with Creighton at 12-5, but with UConn and St. John’s to close out the regular season the Golden Eagles could fall as far as fifth before the Big East Tournament.
As the regular season winds down, there’s still plenty on the line in this Wednesday night Big East matchup. Here’s how you can watch it on FS1, the betting odds, and more.
How to watch No. 20 Marquette vs. UConn
- Date: Wednesday, March 5
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
- How to Watch (TV): FS1
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Marquette record: 22-7 (13-5)
- UConn record: 20-9 (12-6)
Marquette vs. UConn odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Marquette +125
- UConn -150
Spread
- Marquette +2.5 (-102)
- UConn -2.5 (-120)
Total
- 144.5 (over -115/under -105)
Marquette injury report
- N/A
UConn injury report
- N/A
UConn and Marquette series history
- UConn all-time record vs. Marquette: 12-8
Marquette vs. UConn prediction
When Liam McNeeley was out with an injury, Dan Hurley leaned on sophomore guard, Solo Ball to shoulder the offensive load. One of his best performances came against Marquette, knocking down 7-9 attempts from three and finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds. As a team, UConn shot a staggering 63.2% from deep in a game that the Huskies should not have won. Three-point efficiency bailed Hurley’s group out against the Golden Eagles, and for a group that shoots a modest 35% from beyond the arc, it’s unlikely that 12-19 will happen again.
In some ways, Marquette is a nightmare matchup for UConn. Shaka Smart’s team is so aggressive defensively that they force their opponents into a turnover on nearly 20% of their possessions. Last time these teams met, UConn turned it over 25 times and Marquette scored a remarkable 29 points off turnovers. The Huskies have a 14.8% turnover rate offensively, which is near the D1 average, but good defenses have been able to speed the young group of ball handlers (aside from senior Hassan Diarra) up.
The good new for Hurley is that Marquette does not get its opponents into foul trouble and relies to heavily on the three, so Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr., Hurley’s foul-happy big men will likely stay on the floor. Still, I’ll back the Golden Eagles and their frenetic defense to steal a win as a road underdog.