Baylor vs Marquette Basketball Prediction, Odds & Picks

Baylor has a big game against Gonzaga to look forward to on Friday, but first up, they have a tough test tonight in Milwaukee against Marquette.

The Bears, who are ranked sixth in this week’s AP poll, only had one game last week, an 89-60 win over McNeese State. This week, they have the matchup with the Golden Eagles, then they will meet the Bulldogs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Friday night.

Marquette had a busier week, as they played two pre-Thanksgiving games at the Fort Myers Tip-Off–a loss to Mississippi State and a win over Georgia Tech–and then beat Chicago State 82-68 on Saturday.

The Golden Eagles have already played three power conference teams and have shown a lot offensively so far, so the Bears will need on alert tonight in what should be an entertaining encounter at Fiserv Forum.

Who will come out on top in this Big East-Big 12 Battle showdown? Read on for our Baylor vs Marquette prediction, along with our favorite bets for the game.

Baylor Bears vs Marquette Golden Eagles Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: #6 Baylor Bears (5-1) vs Marquette Golden Eagles (5-2)
• Venue & Location: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2022
• Game Time: 8:30 pm ET (7:30 pm local time)
• How to Watch Baylor vs Marquette: FS1

Baylor vs Marquette Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at 5:50 pm ET. This article may also mention odds from our other recommended online sportsbooks.

Spread

• Baylor -5.5 (-110)
• Marquette +5.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 155.5 (-108)
• Under 155.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Baylor -240
• Marquette +195

Expect Plenty of Points at Fiserv Forum Tonight

So far, Baylor’s only stumble came at the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas, an 86-79 loss to Virginia.

That there were so many points and that it ended with the Cavaliers outlasting the Bears in a high-scoring game was a bit of a surprise, but Virginia needed to shoot lights out to do it, making 64.3 percent of their shots from three and 55.6 percent of their shots overall, along with making 27 of 35 free throws.

Thus far, that is the only game in which Baylor has not scored at least 80 points. That includes an 80-75 win over UCLA in their other game in Vegas, which will prove to be a very valuable win come March.

Leading the way for the Bears are veterans LJ Cryer (17.7 PPG) and Adam Flagler (17.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, 53.7% 3PT) and freshman Keyonte George (14.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.0 APG).

That trio has been firing away from outside frequently, which is quite a different approach from Baylor.

Entering today, the Bears are fourth in threes made per game and third in threes attempted per game. Most importantly, they are making those frequent perimeter shots at a clip of 38.5 percent.

Three-Point Shooting Leaders in College Basketball (By Team)

Threes Made Per Game

• 1. Cornell – 12.8
• 2. Utah State – 12.8
• 3. Penn State – 12.3
• 4. Baylor – 12.0
• t5th. Chattanooga – 11.5
• t5th. Seattle – 11.5

Threes Attempted Per Game

• 1. Cornell – 33.2
• 2. Oral Roberts – 31.7
• 3. Baylor – 31.2
• 4. Texas A&M-Commerce – 31.1
• 5. Purdue-Fort Wayne – 30.9

When the Bears won the national championship two seasons ago, they led the country in three-point shooting percentage (41.3 percent), but they attempted only 24.1 threes per game, which was 69th in the country.

Last season, they finished outside the top 100 in threes attempted per game, and they also weren’t nearly as accurate, hitting only just 34.3 percent from outside.

It remains to be seen if the green light will stay on, but if they continue to shoot well, it

Marquette struck out in its first two opportunities to get resume-building wins, but the third time may be the charm tonight.

They fell at Purdue by five points, a result that looks rather impressive after the Boilermakers followed it by beating West Virginia, Duke, and Gonzaga all by double digits to win the Phil Knight Legacy.

They also came up just short against Mississippi State, who is off to a 7-0 start under new coach Chris Jans and is making an early case as a potential NCAA Tournament team.

The game against the Bulldogs is the only one in which Marquette fell short of scoring at least 70 points, though it is worth noting that it is also the most points allowed thus far by MSU, who is second behind only #1 Houston in points allowed per game.

Marquette’s scoring breakdown may look a bit different than Baylor’s, with Kam Jones leading the way at 13.3 PPG, followed by Olivier-Maxence Prosper at 12.7 PPG and Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin at 10.7 PPG.

Jones may lead the team in scoring but has yet to hit the 20-point mark this season, while Joplin has two 20-point games and Prosper went for 31 against Long Island University. So, just as Marquette will have a number of threats to shut down, so will Baylor.

Baylor vs Marquette Prediction and Picks

Baylor vs Marquette Prediction: Baylor to win

Baylor vs Marquette Picks: Baylor/Marquette first half over (Best Value: over 72.5 @ -118 at BetOnline) & Baylor team total over (Best Value: over 79.5 @ -121 at BetUS)

If the Golden Eagles can shoot well, they can pull off the upset tonight.

But what keeps me from backing that result with my Baylor vs Marquette prediction is not having enough faith in that, with Shaka Smart’s squad shooting just 31.8 percent from three thus far.

I still think that this might be the best game of the night from an entertainment standpoint, as there will be plenty of shots and plenty of scoring on both sides.

Marquette is in the top five in the country in average possession length (14.4 seconds), while Baylor–averaging 16.1 seconds per possession, which is 63rd in the country–is playing much faster than we’re accustomed to seeing them.

The first team to 80 points may not win, but the first team to 85 might. Look for that to be the Bears, who will head into their matchup with Gonzaga off the back of an impressive win in Milwaukee.

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