Friday, March 17, 2017

Bon Secours Wellness Arena

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The 10 seed Marquette Golden Eagles travel to Bon Secours Wellness Arena to play the 7 seed South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday, March 17, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has South Carolina as 1.5 point favorites.

The Golden Eagles come into this game with an overall record of 19-11. They are 15-15 against the spread and their over/under record is 15-15. The Gamecocks have an overall record of 22-9. They have an over/under record of 11-16 and they are 11-17 against the spread.

Markus Howard comes into this contest averaging 13.2 points per game while playing 21.8 minutes per night so far this season for the Golden Eagles. He pulls down 2.3 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.2 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 51% while his free throw percentage is currently at 89%. JaJuan Johnson averages 11.8 points per game in 26 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.7 assists per contest and 4 rebounds per game for Marquette. His field goal percentage is 47% for the year while his free throw percentage is 80%.

Sindarius Thornwell averages 21 points per game while playing 33.6 minutes per contest this year for the Gamecocks. He grabs 7.2 rebounds per game and has 2.9 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 44% and his free throw percentage currently is at 83%. PJ Dozier averages 13.6 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 28.4 minutes per contest. He also averages 4.8 rebounds per contest and 2.9 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 39% and his free throw percentage is 60%.

Marquette averages 82.5 points per contest this season which ranks them 17th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 7.5 and their shooting percentage is 49% as a team which has them ranked 16th. Behind the arc they shoot 43% which is good for 1st in the country. They average 33.2 rebounds per game and 16.5 assists per game which ranks them 295th and 20th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 258th with 12.2 per game. The Golden Eagles allow 75.0 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 249th in the nation. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 266th and 289th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 33.6 rebounds a game which ranks 96th and they give up 15.9 assists per contest which puts them in 330th place in the country. They force 13.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 180th in Division 1.

South Carolina averages 72.1 points per game this year which ranks them 202nd in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 7.6 and their shooting percentage is 42% as a team which has them sitting in the 311th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 235th in the nation. They average 36.3 rebounds per game and 12.6 assists per contest which ranks them 143rd and 235th respectively. In the turnover department the Gamecocks rank 141st with 13.4 per game. The Gamecocks allow 64.5 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 29th in the country. They also allow a 40% shooting percentage and a 29% average from behind the arc ranking them 18th and 5th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 35.4 rebounds a game which ranks 195th and they give up 9.5 assists per contest which puts them in 2nd place in the nation. The Gamecocks force 17.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 346th in college basketball.

The Golden Eagles are 12th in the nation in offensive rating at 115.7. They assist on 57.4% of their shots, which ranks 64th in the country. In terms of pace they average 71 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 104th among D-1 teams. They are 7th in effective field goal percentage with 58%. As a team they are 4th in the country in true shooting percentage with 61% and they shoot 3 pointers on 41% of their shots. Marquette turns the ball over an average of 15.3 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.3% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 49.7% places them 214th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 27.2%.

The Gamecocks are 237th in the nation in offensive rating at 101.5. They assist on 51.3% of their shots, which ranks 204th in the country. In terms of pace they average 69.7 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 183rd among D-1 teams. They are 314th in effective field goal percentage with 47%. As a team they are 304th in the country in true shooting percentage with 51% and they shoot 3 pointers on 34% of their shots. South Carolina turns the ball over an average of 16.1 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 11% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.7% places them 157th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 33.5%.

Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Trends

The Marquette Golden Eagles are 15-15 against the spread

The Marquette Golden Eagles are 15-15 against the over/under

South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Trends

The South Carolina Gamecocks are 11-17 against the spread

The South Carolina Gamecocks are 11-16 against the over/under

Marquette Golden Eagles Injuries

12/19/16 G Traci Carter Personal has left team
11/22/16 F Sandy Cohen III Personal has left team
11/08/16 G Sacar Anim None expected to redshirt
03/12/17 C Luke Fischer Shoulder is upgraded to probable Friday vs. South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks Injuries

12/16/16 G Kory Holden Eligibility out for season

Guy's Pick: Take South Carolina -1.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn