The UConn Huskies prepare to host the Marquette Golden Eagles in the NCAAB regular season at the XL Center on Saturday afternoon.
Connecticut head into the game with a 22-2 record for the season so far after a 12-game winning run, while Marquette have amassed a 19-5 record for the season so far and are currently on an eight-game winning streak of their own.
We'll take a look at the match up and provide you with our best free NCAAB betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the court.
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UConn Huskies v Marquette Golden Eagles information
- Saturday, 17th February 2024
- XL Center, Hartford, Conneticut
- 15:00 ET tip-off
Season so far
UConn Huskies have had a remarkable season up to this point with a brilliant 22-2 winning record, with their only defeats coming in December against Big East opponents.
The season started with a fantastic 7-0 run, which included thumping victories against Northern Arizona (95-52), Stonehill (107-67) and Mississippi Valley State (87-53) in the opening three games of the season.
They then claimed wins over Indiana, Texas, Manhattan and New Hampshire before they suffered their first defeat of the season against no.5 Kansas in a Big East Big 12 battle. That was followed up with three consecutive wins over North Carolina, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Gonzaga before the Big 12 season began.
There they suffered their second defeat of the season, losing 75-60 to Seton. Since that game though they have claimed 12 wins on the spin, including a few blowout victories en route.
Wins over St John's (x2), DePaul, Butler (x2), Xavier (x2), Georgetown (x2), Creighton, Villanova Providence have all followed and they come into this game ranked first in the Big East.
Marquette on the other hand opened their campaign with a five-game winning run, with victories over Northern Illinois, Rider, Illinois, UCLA and Kansas.
They then suffered two defeats in their next three games against Purdue and Wisconsin, before a three-game winning streak over Texas, Notre Dame and St Thomas (MN) took them into the Big-East regular season with a 9-2 record.
Since then they have improved tremendously, but they managed to lose three of their opening five games in that campaign. However, that seemed to flick a switch in their play and they've since gone on an eight-game winning streak.
The Golden Eagles have beaten Villanova (x2), St John's (x2), DePaul, Seton Hall, Butler and Georgetown and are currently ranked in second place in the Big East standings heading into this game.
NCAAB Picks: UConn Huskies to win
This is going to be a super exciting game between two teams that are very much in form and are arguably the best two teams in the division.
The teams met three times during the 2023 calendar year with Marquette coming out on top twice, including a super tight 70-68 win in the last game between them. Interestingly in the last three meetings it was the host team who picked up the victory, so the Huskies will be hopeful that is a pattern that continues.
However, so far this season it's clear that the Huskies are the better of the two teams and the stats back it up.
UConn have scored an average of 81.3 points per game, which ranks them 35th across all the teams in college basketball, while Marquette are averaging 78.8 points per game, ranking them in 78th place. They're also conceding far fewer points this season on average per game and when you combine that with a 12-game winning streak and home court advantage, this is their game to lose.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
NCAAB Picks: Back the overs
The overs certainly looks like the play here, with both teams certainly having their biggest strengths with their scoring rather than their defensive abilities.
Cam Spencer is the main man for UConn with an average of 15.2 points per game this season, while for Marquette it's Tyler Kolek leading the way with an average of 16.1 per game. This league is usually quite a high-scoring one and when the top two teams go head-to-head it can often become a game of ego.
The top players are capable of leading their teams through tough games, and with the likes of Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban and Oso Ighodaro in the supporting cast there is real potential for this to be an entertaining game.
Over the last ten games UConn have seen an average of 144 points scored in their games while the Golden Eagles have seen 151 points scored on average over the same period. You'd expect similar, if not more, numbers to land once again, and that makes the Over the perfect bet for this game. Back it and enjoy watching the points roll in to boost your bank balance at the same time.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
