Big East Championship Game Preview: Xavier vs. Marquette

A first-time Big East Tournament champion will be crowned on Saturday evening when the Xavier Musketeers take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. Both Xavier and Marquette were underdogs per the college basketball betting odds on Friday, but Xavier was able to hammer Creighton has a heavy underdog while Marquette squeaked past UConn. Both regular season meetings were decided by a total of five points, so this should be a very fun game.

The Big East Championship Game will be played on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

Xavier Musketeers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Prediction

Shaka Smart saw his star fade after failing to have any meaningful success in six seasons at Texas. The Longhorns never made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and some doubted whether or not he was an elite head coach as a result.

Smart has proven all the doubters wrong in his second season at Marquette though, and the Golden Eagles have now made the Big East Championship Game for the first time in program history. Marquette is a slight favorite by the CBB betting odds, and that is my pick for the Big East champion.

Best Bet: Marquette -1.5
Score Prediction: Marquette 81 Xavier 76

Xavier Musketeers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Odds

Xavier Musketeers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Resources

Date: Saturday, Mar. 11, 2023
TV-Time: FOX, 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York, NY
Matchup
Expert Picks

Big East Tournament Odds

Xavier Musketeers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Stats

Xavier Musketeers
SU: 25-8
ATS: 21-11
O/U: 21-11-1
PPG: 79.2
OPPG: 65.1

Marquette Golden Eagles
SU: 27-6
ATS: 20-12-1-13
O/U: 17-16
PPG: 80.4
OPPG: 71.2

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Xavier Musketeers Betting Analysis

Sean Miller has done an excellent job in his first season back with Xavier. The Musketeers did little more than tread water in four seasons under Travis Steele, as they failed to make the NCAA Tournament a single time. However, they came together during an NIT run last year and ending up claiming an NIT Championship that they were able to build off this year.

The Musketeers have overcome disappointment too as Zach Freemantle was ruled out for an extended period in late January. Freemantle was the top performer on Xavier through the first two-thirds of the season, and there were real concerns about how Xavier would fare without him in the lineup. They have responded with an 8-3 record in 11 games, as other players have stepped up in his absence.

Souley Boum is now the leading scorer on Xavier with 16.8 PPG, and he came up big in the win over Creighton on Friday with a game-high 23 points. Boum knocked down five of his eight three-point field goals in the game and also added six assists as the top performer for Xavier. Jack Nunge has done a great job filling in for Freemantle with 14.3 PPG and 7.8 RPG as a big man that can stretch the floor, and Nunge is making 42.7% of his threes.

Xavier does an excellent job hitting threes as its top five scorers are all making at least 39.5% of their three-point attempts. However, fatigue could be an issue as this is the third game in three days for the Musketeers. Their starters have all played 28 minutes for two straight nights, and the Golden Eagles can push the pace.

Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Analysis

Marquette has won three straight games by exactly two points. The Golden Eagles haven't been dominant on their way to the Big East Championship Game, but they have an advantage in that they have a bench that they have used in order to give their best players some time off over the last two days.

Tyler Kolek is one of the best distributors in the country. Kolek ranks second nationally in assists with 7.9 APG, and he has recorded six or more assists in six straight games. He had 17 points on over 54% shooting in the win over UConn on Friday too.

The Golden Eagles rank first nationally in two-point field goal percentage as they are making 59.2% of their shots inside the three-point line. Marquette has three players that rank in the top 100 among individuals in terms of two-point percentage in Kam Jones (64.3%), Oso Ighodaro (65.7%), and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (63.3%). Additionally, they are an above average three-point shooting team, and their ability to move the ball on offense has the potential to wear down Xavier late in the game.