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How to Watch
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
UConn 4-1 (1-1) | Marquette 6-5 (2-3)
KenPom Rankings: UConn – 38, Marquette – 51
Odds
Spread: Marquette -1.5
Records ATS: UConn (4-1) | Marquette (4-7)
Total: 139.5
Moneyline: UConn +102 | Marquette -125
Series History
The series between UConn and Marquette is a rather short one, but so far it has favored the Golden Eagles. The Huskies are 3-5 all time against Marquette, losing their last Big East matchup on January 1, 2013 by a score of 82-76. However, the Huskies are 2-1 when playing at Marquette and will look to push that record to 3-1 Tuesday night.
The Matchup
Marquette has been a bit of an enigma this season, coming up with a big win against Wisconsin, but also barely sneaking past Georgetown. According to KenPom, Marquette has the third best adjusted offense in the Big East, but the worst rated defense. The Golden Eagles have four players averaging double figures, led by guards Koby McEwen (13.5 PPG) and DJ Carton (11.4 PPG, 3.9 APG). Freshman star Dawson Garcia who is putting up an impressive 12.4 PPG and pulling down 7.3 RPG. As a team, Marquette has an effective field goal percentage of 54.7, good for second in the Big East. The Golden Eagles are shooting 38% from deep collectively.
The Huskies come into the game with the top-rated adjusted defense in the Big East. Can they slow down the Marquette offense? It is unclear if and how much Akok Akok will play tonight, but the frontcourt will have their hands full against Marquette’s interior. Meanwhile, the backcourt will have to step up their defense and limit Marquette’s three-point opportunities. On the other side of the ball, UConn has the sixth rated adjusted offense in the league (per KenPom). The Huskies are looking for more consistency as a team on offense; they cannot rely on Bouknight to carry them on that end of the floor. Tyrese Martin will look to build upon his promising performance (22 points, 10 boards) in a rout of DePaul. Can others step up and contribute to the offense more consistently?
Final Prediction
The Huskies are still trying to figure things out on the offensive end of the floor as each player finds their identity and learns their role, but the Huskies defense proves huge in this game. UConn starts out their three-game road trip with a tough win over the Golden Eagles.