Marquette vs Xavier Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 15 (Marquette Holds Defensive Edge in Big East Tilt)

Marquette vs Xavier Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• No. 11 Marquette (20-6, 12-3 Big East) vs. No. 16 Xavier (19-6, 11-3 Big East)
• Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Fiserv Forum -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Coverage: CBS Sports Network

Wednesday, Feb. 15's NCAA college basketball schedule includes some Big East action as the No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles and No. 16 Xavier Musketeers.

Marquette improved to 7-1 in its last eight games with Saturday's 89-75 blowout win against Georgetown. On the other hand, Xavier aims to bounce back following a 69-67 loss to the Butler that saw the Musketeers trailing by 14 points at halftime.

Will Marquette keep the success coming with another strong home performance? Or will Xavier puts its latest loss in the rearview and find a way to walk out with the win?

Marquette vs Xavier Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MARQ: (-255) | XAVIER: (+205)
• Spread: MARQ: -5.5 (-120) | XAVIER: +5.5 (-102)
• Total: 161.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Marquette enters this contest as the clear home favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 161.5 points with both sides sitting at -110 odds.

Marquette vs Xavier Betting Trends

• Marquette has 17 wins in 26 games against the spread this season.
• The Golden Eagles' ATS record as 5.5-point favorites or more is 8-6.
• There have been 15 Marquette's games (out of 26) that went over the total this year.
• Xavier has covered the spread 13 times in 25 games.
• The Musketeers have won twice ATS (2-2) as a 5.5-point underdog or more this season.
• Xavier has played 25 games this year, and 17 of them have gone over the total.

Marquette Rank	Marquette AVG		Xavier AVG	Xavier Rank
19th	81.2	Points Scored	83.2	8th
211th	70.7	Points Allowed	75.7	328th
337th	28.3	Rebounds	34.8	37th
298th	7	Off. Rebounds	9	143rd
34th	9	3pt Made	7.6	158th
6th	17.8	Assists	20.6	1st
59th	10.8	Turnovers	12.6	238th

Marquette vs Xavier Prediction & Pick

Marquette and Xavier have two of the better offenses in the country, averaging 81.2 PPG (No. 12) and 83.2 PPG (No. 6), respectively. Keeping that in mind, Marquette has the defensive edge, allowing only 70.7 PPG (No. 189) compared to Xavier's 75.7 PPG clip (T-No. 306).

The Golden Eagles will up the pressure every time the ball is in the Musketeers' hands. Marquette averages the fourth-most steals in the country (9.5) and also forces 16.2 turnovers per game (No. 15). I expect a strong defensive performance against a Xavier team that averages 13.0 giveaways per game (No. 218) and just coughed up the ball 18 times in its last outing.

Marquette is also a perfect 7-0 at home against Big East competition this season, whereas Xavier is 4-3 on the road against the conference.

With Marquette having the defensive advantage and being tough to beat at home, I don't see the Golden Eagles losing to the Musketeers, who've lost back-to-back road games.

Final Score Prediction: Marquette: 81 | Xavier: 74

Marquette vs Xavier Best Bet

Xavier is a solid team, but I have my eyes on Marquette covering as the 5.5-point favorite. After all, the Golden Eagles have covered the spread in 10 of their last 13 games while the Musketeers are only 2-5 ATS in their last seven. On top of that, the Musketeers have failed to cover in six of their last seven games played in February.

Even more convincing is the fact that Marquette is 5-1 ATS in its last six home games against Xavier, winning by an average margin of 12.3 points. With the Golden Eagles being undefeated at home and holding the defensive advantage, back Marquette to cover the spread tonight.

Bet: Marquette -5.5 (-120)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. 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.