Skip to main content

Xavier vs. Marquette Big East Odds, Picks, Predictions: Top-Seeded Golden Eagles Favored

Brenden Schaeffer

Last Updated: March 11, 2023 12:50 PM EST • 2 min 49 sec read.

Head coach Sean Miller of the Xavier Musketeers as we look at our Kennesaw State vs. Xavier prediction
Head coach Sean Miller of the Xavier Musketeers reacts during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays in the Semifinal round of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP.

The two top seeds in the Big East Tournament have reached the conclusion of their collision course to the title game. Read on for our Xavier vs. Marquette college basketball picks based on the top NCAAB odds.

Marquette (27-6) and Xavier (25-8) were the two best teams in the Big East all season. They’re also the two hottest groups riding into Saturday's conference championship game, carrying win streaks of eight and five games, respectively. 

Will it be a race to 80 points between two of the top six offenses in the KenPom rankings? Is there value on the underdog in what should be a hotly-contested tournament final?

Here is our best Xavier vs. Marquette pick based on the Big East conference championship odds (odds via FanDuel and BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Xavier vs. Marquette odds

Xavier vs. Marquette prediction

Xavier +2.5 (-115 via Fanduel, BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bet $5, Win $150 in Bonus Bets

New customers only. Deposit min. $10. Place first bet of $5+ and get $150 in Bonus Bets if the bet wins (within 72 hours).

Claim $150
Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook betting site. 21+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly

Marquette and Xavier split the season series with each side winning at home in contests with margins of four points and one point. The more recent of the two affairs finished 69-68 in favor of the Golden Eagles. A repeat scoring performance would be surprising for Saturday’s game given the betting total of 153.5 points.

Although Marquette has the longer winning streak entering Saturday, I would make the case that Xavier has had the more impressive path through the Big East Tournament, carving up a legitimately good Creighton team by 22 points Friday. The Golden Eagles were stretched thin in two-point wins over both St. John’s and UConn in this tournament.

Xavier's offensive efficiency is slightly superior to Marquette's, per KenPom, ranking third in the country to Marquette’s sixth. We’ve also seen the Musketeers reflect that efficiency more notably in recent days, scoring 85.5 points per game over their two tournament affairs: Marquette has scored 71.0 PPG in the tournament.

Marquette has shot well below its season average in two games at the Garden and may not be crisp enough to outscore a high-octane Xavier offense at this point in the calendar. Getting 2.5 points with the team firing more consistently on offense right now feels like the side on which I’d like to be for this conference title game.

Be sure to include Xavier +2.5 in your college basketball best bets for Saturday.

Xavier vs. Marquette best odds

FanDuel and BetMGM +2.5 (-115) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
Xavier +2Xavier +2.5Xavier +2.5Xavier +2Xavier +2
-110-115-115-115-110

FanDuel and BetMGM offer the Musketeers at +2.5 with a slight premium on the odds to buy the hook. The widely available -115 is a fair price for that hook, though, in a game that could come down to the wire. I prefer the offerings to the flat +2 line with -110 odds provided by DraftKings and PointsBet.

Caesars is an easy spot to avoid for Xavier bettors as they’re making you pay -115 for the lesser +2 number. At +2, this would only be a three-star recommendation for me, so keep an eye on the lines to ensure the quality of the wager.

Xavier vs. Marquette odds analysis

Marquette opened as a 1.5-point favorite and has advanced to between -2 and -2.5 across our best March Madness betting sites. Just over 50% of wagers, however, have come in on underdog Xavier.

The total opened at 154.5 and has dipped slightly to between 153.5 and 154 across our sports betting sites. Roughly 55% of the wagers have come in on the Over.

Xavier vs. Marquette game info

  • Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023, 6:30 p.m. ET
  • TV: FOX
  • Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

Xavier-Marquette pick made 03/11/2023 at 12:25 p.m. ET.

Here are our best March Madness betting sites:

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Related pages

Written By:
Brenden Schaeffer
Since graduating from the University of Missouri in 2016, Brenden Schaeffer has covered the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues hockey as a writer for KMOV in St. Louis. He also co-hosts 'The Big Show' on KTGR radio in Columbia, Missouri. The show airs in afternoon drive, weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Brenden has contributed to SBR since 2021, providing insights on NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB, and the NBA. You can download his daily baseball podcast, B-Schaeff Daily, on Spotify or Apple podcasts, and you can find Brenden across social media @bschaeffer12.