The Big East is not quite as loaded as in years past, but there are still brutal stretches for these teams as they navigate through the conference slate. Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles hit one at the start of February, dropping three straight, first at home to UConn, then on the road at St. John’s and at Creighton.
Since that difficult stretch, Marquette has bounced back with wins over Big East bottom-feeders DePaul and Seton Hall. Friday night won’t quite be a trip to the Garden to face Rick Pitino’s Johnnies, but it’s certainly a step back up in competition at Villanova.
Kyle Neptune’s Wildcats are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season after dropping five of their last eight games, including an 87-74 loss at Marquette on January 24. If Villanova is going to make a run to March Madness, it will need to win the Big East Tournament, but if the Wildcats can get an upset win over Marquette, it would at least build some momentum. Here’s how you can watch this Big East showdown on Friday night.
How to watch Marquette vs. Villanova
- Date: Friday, February 21
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Wells Fargo Center
- How to Watch (TV): FS1
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Marquette record: 20-6 (11-4)
- Villanova record: 15-12 (8-8)
Marquette vs. Villanova odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Marquette -118
- Villanova -102
Spread
- Marquette -1.5 (-110)
- Villanova +1.5 (-110)
Total
- 142.5 (over -115/under -105)
Marquette injury report
- N/A
Villanova injury report
- Nnanna Njoku, F: OUT (knee)
Villanova and Marquette series history
- Villanova all-time record vs. Marquette: 27-20
- Marquette 8-0 in last 8 vs. Villanova
Marquette vs. Villanova prediction
Villanova is shooting nearly 40% from three this season, the fifth-best mark in the country at 39.6%. Yet, UConn was able to completely freeze out Neptune’s offense on Tuesday night as the Huskies came storming back in the second half to steal a seven-point win. Defensively, Marquette has that same ability. The Golden Eagles hold opponents to 30.9% from beyond the arc (41st in the country), and just under seven made threes a game.
The last time these teams met, Marquette wasn’t able to completely run the Wildcats off the line, allowing Nova to go 10-29 from deep, but Shaka Smart’s group sped up the pace of the game and scored 16 points off turnovers. Villanova doesn’t turn the ball over much, only a 13.8% turnover rate this year, and if it can slow the pace on Friday night, it’ll have a chance at an upset.
Marquette’s biggest vulnerability is on the glass. Eric Dixon and Villanova need to capitalize on offensive rebounds for second-chance points, which they do at an above-average rate, but I don’t expect it to be enough. I expected Marquette to speed up the pace, Villanova to do some damage on the boards and from three, but for the Golden Eagles to pull out a higher-scoring matchup on the main line.