After stepping out of conference to beat Tennessee 72-61 on Saturday, the fifth-ranked Connecticut Huskies jump right back into Big East play Tuesday when they take on the Marquette Golden Eagles.
The Huskies have certainly been the surprise of the conference to this point after having to settle for the NIT last season. Though the Golden Eagles are not ranked, they are actually favored in this game since they are at home.
College basketball spreads for this contest show us a line of Marquette -4 over Connecticut.
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Connecticut (16-2, 4-2) is riding a five-game winning streak into this matchup with Marquette. After dropping their first two Big East road games to ranked opponents in Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, the Huskies have bounced back to win two straight on the road. That includes an 82-81 overtime victory at then-No. 12 Texas on January 8.
This is a team that went just 2-10 on the road last season, so they have shown a lot better mental toughness in finding ways to win anywhere.
Four players for the Huskies scored in double figures against the Volunteers over the weekend, led by Kemba Walker and freshman Jeremy Lamb who each had 16 points. Head coach Jim Calhoun said it was his team’s most complete game of the season, as they never trailed after Roscoe Smith’s three-pointer put them ahead 44-41 with 15:30 remaining in the game.
Walker is the nation’s second-leading scorer at 25.0 points per game. He had scored 55 points in his previous two games before posting his lowest point total of the season against the Vols. He was just 6-of-17 from the floor, but the Huskies are finding ways to win without him at his best which is exactly what they need.
Alex Oriakhi has been a stead force inside, scoring 11.2 points, grabbing 9.4 rebounds and blocking 2.2 shots per game this year.
Marquette (13-7, 4-3) has lost three of their last five coming into this one. The Golden Eagles were beaten at Notre Dame 80-75 on Saturday despite connecting on 10-of-20 from three-point range. Once again, Marquette blew a big lead in the second half which has been a common theme for them this season.
The Golden Eagles led by 12 early in the second half, but shot just 30 percent in the half which ultimately cost them a victory. Darius Johnson-Odom had a nice game with 25 points, but Jimmy Butler was held in check with just 12 points.
The Golden Eagles have a chance to get right back in the Big East race with consecutive home games coming up. After hosting Connecticut Tuesday, they will welcome No. 9 Syracuse this coming Saturday. The Eagles are undefeated in conference home games this season and 11-1 at the Bradley Center for the year.
Marquette just seems to score points at will at home, putting up 85.1 points per game this season. Johnson-Odom leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game, but this is a deep team with four players averaging in double-figures.
Marquette won their lone meeting with the Huskies last season, winning 70-68 on the road thanks to Butler’s 21 points and his game-winner with just 2.4 seconds remaining.
Projected Score: Marquette 74, Connecticut 70
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