Marquette vs. Villanova odds, prediction, time: 2025 college basketball picks, Feb. 21 bets by proven model
Big East rivals on contrasting streaks will clash during Friday’s college basketball schedule as No. 16 Marquette visits Villanova. The Golden Eagles (20-6) have won two in a row, which followed a three-game losing streak, while the Wildcats (15-12), have dropped back-to-back games, which comes on the heels of a three-game winning streak. Marquette has dominated this series as of late, winning eight straight, including an 87-74 victory when these two last met on Jan. 24.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET from the Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. The Golden Eagles are 1.5-point road favorites in the latest Villanova vs. Marquette odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 142.5. Before making any Marquette vs. Villanova picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 16 of the 2024-25 season on a 213-158 betting roll (+1675) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Villanova vs. Marquette. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines for Marquette vs. Villanova:
The Golden Eagles do two things incredibly well which has led to their success this season. They protect the ball on offense and then force turnovers on defense, gaining extra possessions. Just two teams in all of college basketball turn the ball over fewer times than Marquette, while — thanks to ranking eighth in the nation in steals — the team forces the 15th-most turnover per game in Division I. Shaka Smart’s squad has lost the turnover battle just three times all season across 26 games.
Marquette’s efficient offense should be able to exploit a Nova defense which isn’t the most active. The Wildcats rank among the bottom quartile of Division I teams in both steals per game and blocks per game as Villanova doesn’t present much of a deterrent in getting to the hoop. Marquette’s 87 points in its January victory over Villanova is the most points the Golden Eagles have scored in a Big East game all season, and you also can’t ignore the current eight-game win streak for Marquette over Nova. See which team to pick here.
The Wildcats are an elite shooting team in multiple areas. They rank third in the nation in free throw percentage and fifth in 3-point percentage, so they can generate points all over the court. They also have something that no other team in college basketball can claim, and that’s the country’s leading scorer in Eric Dixon. His 22.9 points not only lead Division I, but he’s the only player in a power conference putting up more than 20 points per game.
Nova also has the spread advantage, having covered in four of its last five games, while Marquette has just one ATS victory over its last five contests. The Wildcats haven’t been a home underdog often — just twice this season — but they covered in both. Meanwhile, familiar opponents have gotten the best of the Golden Eagles versus the line as Marquette is just 5-10 ATS in Big East play in 2024-25. See which team to pick here.
SportsLine’s model has simulated Villanova vs. Marquette 10,000 times and is going over on the total, projecting 148 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Marquette vs. Villanova, and which side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Villanova vs. Marquette spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up almost $1,700 on its college basketball picks dating back to 2023, and find out.
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SportsLine’s model simulated Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 16 Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East matchup on Friday 10,000 times
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| Marquette | Villanova | |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | -1.5 | +1.5 |
| Over/Under | 142.5 | 142.5 |
| Money Line | -128 | +107 |
| Picks | See picks at SportsLine | |
| Streaming | FuboTV (Try for free) |
What channel is Marquette vs Villanova on tonight? Time, TV, schedule, streaming, odds
Friday night could be the last time Marquette’s Kam Jones and Villanova’s Eric Dixon face one another. The two leading scorers in the Big East both have reason to look forward to it.
Jones and the Golden Eagles will be going after a ninth straight victory over the Wildcats when they visit the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Dixon will likely be motivated to help change his team’s fortunes against MU.
Villanova (15-12 overall, 8-8 in the Big East) is coming off a crushing loss to Connecticut Tuesday night, when the Wildcats were outscored 23-6 over the final 10 minutes. Dixon, Wooga Poplar and Jordan Longino accounted for 83% of the team’s points against the Huskies. Longino had 27 points in Villanova’s 87-74 loss to Marquette at Fiserv Forum last month.
Jones has led MU in scoring in three straight games and the Golden Eagles (20-6, 11-4) are looking for a third consecutive win after a three-game losing streak.
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If the season ended today, Jones and Dixon — who have both scored in double figures for 42 straight games — would be on track to meet each other for a final time in the Big East tournament in a few weeks. Marquette is third in the league standings and Villanova is sixth.
Here’s how to watch and listen to the game:
The Marquette vs. Villanova game starts at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday night from the Wells Fargo Center In Philadelphia.
Yes, the Marquette broadcast is on Channel 83 and the Villanova broadcast is on Channel 380.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday
All times Central
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Marquette vs. Villanova, 7:00 ET
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With a big day of Saturday basketball looming, the schedule for Friday doesn’t have a ton of big names on the docket. That doesn’t really matter as there are more than enough great teams taking the floor for us to focus in on. Sure, there are also some smaller schools or games that have good value for you as well, but I have a look on a couple of the more popular names for tonight’s slate. We have a game tonight between Marquette and Villanova that should not only be good, but line our pockets.
Marquette has been a bit all over the place this season in terms of their ranks as a top program in the nation. The Golden Eagles are good, no question. At one point in the season they were one of the top five ranked teams, and today they come in as the 16th-ranked team in the nation. It is arguable that they are currently playing the worst basketball of their season. They lost three games from November 4th until January 28th. This month, in five games, they’ve dropped three of them, all in a row. The three losses came at home to UConn, then on the road against St. John’s and Creighton. Now they need to once again go on the road and try and grab a win. They haven’t been overly dominant away from their Milwaukee home base. Against conference opponents, on the road, they’ve beaten teams by two, 28, two, seven, and nine points. So just one of those games was one they could coast in. They struggled against DePaul for example, and beat them by two points in overtime. I get that sometimes team overlook opponents, but sometimes it seems like Marquette just struggles.
Villanova hasn’t had quite as much success as Marquette this season, but make no mistake this is a pretty strong team that most won’t really look forward to facing. There are probably some questions on if they will make the NCAA Tournament, and I am guessing they won’t unless they can grab some wins against teams like Marquette. As of tonight, they are 15-12 overall, and 8-8 in conference games. They;ve certainly lost to teams they should’ve beaten this season, but they’ve also beat some really good teams. They have wins over UConn, St. John’s, and Cincinnati. They only have one game this season where they lost against a ranked opponent and that was against Marquette on the road. (Just a note, they did also lose to St. John’s on the road, but at that time St. John’s wasn’t ranked.) This team is led by two guys who carry the bulk of the scoring load. They have Eric Dizon who is putting in 22.9 points per game, and Wooga Polar who contributes another 15 per game. Those two combine to put together a backcourt that is going to be very tough for most teams to deal with.
In tonight’s game, you have to wonder if Villanova is going to be able to leverage the home court advantage. Their team has been fairly average and seems to play to their competition. That’s actually a good sign in this one as they are trying to beat a ranked team. The game is a coinflip for a reason and while I lean toward Marquette, I’m not running to the window to bet it. Instead, I like the idea of taking the under for this one. The teams haven’t been scoring great lately, but their defenses have been doing well enough even during losses. Back under 142.5.
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