Marquette vs Vermont Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 17 NCAA Tournament Game (Back a High-Scoring First Half)

Marquette vs Vermont Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• No. 6 Marquette (28-6) vs. Vermont (23-10)
• Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
• Time: 2:45 PM ET
• Venue: Nationwide Arena -- Columbus, Ohio
• Coverage: CBS

The 2023 NCAA Tournament continues on Friday with a great Round of 64 matchup between the No. 15 Vermont Catamounts and No. 2 Marquette Golden Eagles. Vermont is in the big dance for the fourth time since 2017, while Marquette is slated as a No. 2 seed for the first time in school history.

Vermont is coming off a 72-59 win over UMass Lowell in the America East Championship, which was its 15th straight victory. Meanwhile, Marquette is in the midst of a nine-game winning streak after a 65-51 win over Xavier in the Big East title showdown. Which squad will emerge victorious on Friday?

Marquette vs Vermont Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MARQ: (-610) | VERMNT: (+440)
• Spread: MARQ: -10.5 (-110) | VERMNT: +10.5 (-110)
• Total: 144.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Marquette enters this contest as a clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 2:45 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 144.5 points, which is above average compared to Friday's projected totals.

Marquette vs Vermont Betting Trends

• Marquette has covered the spread 21 times in 34 games.
• The Golden Eagles' ATS record as 10.5-point favorites or more is 4-6.
• Marquette has seen 17 of its 34 games hit the over.
• Vermont is 19-13-0 against the spread this year.
• Out of Vermont's 32 games so far this season, 18 have hit the over.

Marquette Rank	Marquette AVG		Vermont AVG	Vermont Rank
19th	79.9	Points Scored	73	147th
193rd	70.6	Points Allowed	66.6	71st
333rd	28.4	Rebounds	29	315th
280th	7.4	Off. Rebounds	5.6	352nd
41st	8.9	3pt Made	8.6	55th
4th	17.6	Assists	13.6	136th
45th	10.5	Turnovers	8.8	5th

Marquette vs Vermont Prediction & Pick

Vermont is a dangerous No. 15 seed that has scored at least 70 points in each of its last 14 games. A lot of that scoring comes from beyond the arc, though, as the Catamounts average 24.0 three-point attempts per game (No. 65 in NCAA). The perimeter is where Marquette's defense has shined lately.

The Golden Eagles have allowed an average of only 6.7 made three as well as an opponent three-point shooting percentage of 29.0% over their last three games. Tightening up on defense will be crucial for a deep postseason run, so look for head coach Shaka Smart to make that clear in practice.

Marquette has won seven straight games against America East teams, so back the Golden Eagles.

Final Score Prediction: Marquette: 78 | Vermont: 70

Marquette vs Vermont Best Bet

These are two teams that have been getting off to hot starts all year. Both Marquette and Vermont are averaging at least 35.5 first half points per game, which ranks among the top 75 teams in the country. Not only that, but they each rank among the top 30 teams in shooting percentage (47.1% or better).

The depth of these squads sticks out as the Golden Eagles roster five players averaging at least 9.3 points per game. On the other side, all three of the Catamounts top scorers are shooting at least 43.0% from the floor. Trust Kam Jones and Dylan Penn to start balling as soon as the ball is tipped.

Bet: First Half Over 68.5 Total Points (-104)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.