The Arizona State Sun Devils are on their best start of the season in over 10 years. The team is still a perfect 5-0 and has won four of those matchups by double-digit margins. Arizona State already has three wins by 28 points or more, and their closest game was a six-point victory over UNLV that they controlled for most of the second half. The Sun Devils, however, are about to face a huge test early in the season when they host two Top-25 opponents in back-to-back games this week.

Arizona State’s first game will be a home matchup against the No. 25 Marquette Golden Eagles tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Marquette started out the season with two solid wins—one of which was a 43-point blowout of Grambling State—before losing its first big test of the season in a matchup against the No. 10-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The team was held to only 35 points for the game and was dominated during the second half of the low-scoring affair. Let’s take a closer look at Monday’s Marquette versus Arizona State matchup and figure out which side of the wager has the most value to bet on.

Marquette at Arizona State Betting Story Lines

Arizona State has been on a tear to start the year. The team is averaging 86 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field and is hitting 40.2 percent of their three-point shots. The Sun Devils may not be a Top 25 team just yet, but if they can continue their stretch of excellent play into next week, there is a good chance that they will be. Coach Sean Miller’s still-undefeated squad is coming off of a 12-point win over the Bradley Braves where they had nine of their 12 players score points.

Guard Jahii Carson led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Center Jordan Bachynski also had a solid night, adding 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in 31 minutes of action. The team made 78 percent of their free throws and took 24 three-point attempts. The Sun Devils have covered three of their four posted spreads, but they have gone “over” only once in four posted totals. The team may be high-scoring, but they still play solid defense and only allow their opponents to score 62 points per game.

The Golden Eagles have been the beneficiary of a light schedule to start the year, but things are about to get more difficult over the next few weeks. The team will play its next three games on the road and will face a very good Arizona State team as well as the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers in early December. Marquette has been struggling to score all season and only averages 67 points per game—a number which was padded by a 114-point game against Grambling State.

The Golden Eagles only shot 32 percent during their last outing and missed 19 three-point attempts during their matchup against the New Hampshire Wildcats. The team also shot poorly against the Buckeyes and made only 10 shots the entire game for an 18.9 shooting percentage. Marquette’s saving grace is that they are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation and are averaging 43.3 per game. The team has also not covered a spread during either of their two posted totals this season.

Marquette at Arizona State NCAA Odds and Key Trends

Arizona State opened as a 6.5-point favorite over Marquette, according to BetOnline. The total was unavailable at the time this article was published. The Sun Devils are 7-1 ATS during their last eight nonconference games and 5-1 ATS over their last six overall games. The team has covered four of their last five home games and is 4-1 following a SU win. The Sun Devils, however, have not covered a spread against the Big East during their last four tries.

Marquette has a 9-4 ATS record during their last 13 Monday games but are only 1-7-1 ATS over their last nine overall games. The Golden Eagles are 1-5-1 ATS during their last seven games following a SU win and have the same record during their last seven nonconference games.

Free College Basketball Picks: Marquette at Arizona State Predictions

Marquette has real problems shooting the ball from any area of the court, and those issues are not likely to be fixed against a very good Arizona State squad. The Golden Eagles will probably want to play a slow-paced, half-court game and not get into a scoring war with the Sun Devils. The trouble for Marquette is that Arizona State is the better rebounding team, and they will probably be able to control the pace of the game. Expect Arizona State to be motivated to beat a ranked opponent and maybe earn a ranking in the near future. Take the Sun Devils minus the points.

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Read more articles by George Monroy