Marquette Golden Eagles vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Marquette Golden Eagles vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

Cintas Center is the location where the Xavier Musketeers (8-4) will attempt to defeat the Marquette Golden Eagles (10-2) on Saturday.

The Marquette Golden Eagles faced Butler and earned the victory with a final of 80-70 in their last contest. Marquette wrapped up the contest with a 42.7% field goal percentage (32 of 75) and knocked down 6 of their 30 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles converted 10 of their 12 attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. When it comes to rebounding, they collected 36 with 18 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Regarding defense, Marquette allowed the other team to shoot 51.1% from the field on 24 out of 47 shooting. Butler earned 13 dimes and had 1 steal in the matchup. Additionally, Butler grabbed 25 rebounds (3 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Butler shot 86.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of 15 attempts. They converted 9 out of their 22 tries from distance. With respect to personal fouls, the Golden Eagles finished with 14 while Butler finished the game with 13 personal fouls.

Kameron Jones is a guy who had an impact for the contest. He accounted for 23 points on 11 out of 24 shooting. He saw the court for 36 mins played and also collected 7 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 45.8% from the floor and also earned 5 assists.

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Marquette enters this matchup with a record of 10-2 this season. They are averaging 81.4 points per game (65th in college hoops) while shooting 46.6% from the floor. The Golden Eagles are hitting 32.5% on shots from distance (115 of 354) and 74.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Marquette is collecting 34.3 boards per contest and is sitting with 178 dimes for the season, which is 97th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 9.1 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Golden Eagles are forcing their opponents into 16.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 323rd in college in giving up assists with 180 conceded so far this year. The Golden Eagles defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 44.1% (292 of 662) and they surrender 33.8 boards per game as a squad. They give up 31.6% from beyond the arc and they rank 79th in the country in opponents PPG (67.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Xavier Musketeers went home defeated by a final of 94-89 against Connecticut. The Musketeers were able to pull down 18 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards totaling 21 in the game. They turned it over 9 times, while getting 3 steals for the game. Connecticut earned 16 fouls for this game which took the Musketeers to the charity stripe for 21 tries. They were able to knock down 18 of the free throws for a clip of 85.7%. Concerning three-point shots, Xavier knocked down 13 out of 24 tries (54.2%). When the final whistle was blown, the Musketeers ended up going 29 for 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Musketeers permitted Connecticut to convert 33 out of their 69 tries from the field which had them shooting 47.8% in this contest. They went 33.3% from downtown by going 8 of 24 and ended up shooting 20 of 21 from the free throw line (95.2%). With respect to how they attacked the glass, Xavier permitted Connecticut to pull down 32 in all (12 on the offensive side).

Ryan Conwell ended up having an impact for the Musketeers in this matchup. He scored 23 points in his 41 minutes on the court and tallied 1 assist for the contest. He converted 9 of 13 for this game for a rate of 69.2%, and accumulated 3 rebounds.

Xavier has a win-loss mark of 8-4 so far this season. The Musketeers commit 16.6 fouls every game and they connect on 78.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 17.6 times per game (28th in the country) and they turn the ball over 11.5 times per game. Xavier has accounted for 965 pts so far this season (80.4 per game) and they grab 36.3 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Musketeers are connecting on 47.0% from the floor, which ranks 99th in the country.

The Musketeers on defense are ranked 128th in college hoops in points given up per game with 69.1. They are able to force 12.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the floor (143rd in college hoops). The Xavier defense gives up 35.2% on three-point shots (83 of 236) and opponents are converting on 70.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 13.8 dimes and 31.6 rebounds every game, which is 248th and 56th in D-1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Xavier

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