Texas vs Marquette Basketball Prediction & Picks: Smart Faces Former Team in High-Profile Home Contest

In March 2021, Shaka Smart departed Texas for Marquette, leaving Austin after six mostly underwhelming seasons. Tonight, he will meet his former program for the first time as the #12 Longhorns visit the #8 Golden Eagles at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (8:00 pm ET, FS1).

After being dogged by speculation about his job security, Smart, a Wisconsin native, made the move to Marquette, and in two-plus seasons, has turned the Golden Eagles into a potential national championship contender.

His former school is now in the first full season under Rodney Terry, who took over from the fired Chris Beard last season and led the Longhorns to the Big 12 Tournament title and the Elite Eight, which led to his interim tag being removed.

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This isn’t the first high-profile game for each team this season. Texas fell to UConn in the Empire Classic championship game, while Marquette reached the championship game of the Maui Invitational, won at Illinois, and is coming off of a loss at Wisconsin.

A win tonight for the Golden Eagles would not only be a nice bounce-back from a disappointing rivalry loss and add to their March Madness resume, but it would also no doubt be highly meaningful for Smart. The odds are heavily favor him getting that meaningful win, as the Marquette is favored by a healthy margin.

Texas vs Marquette Odds

Odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Spread

• Texas +8.5 (-115)
• Marquette -8.5 (-105)

Over/Under

• Over 152 (-110)
• Under 152 (-110)

Moneyline

• Texas +285
• Marquette -370

Can Unproven Texas Pull the Upset in Milwaukee?

While the Longhorns have a fairly lofty ranking at this juncture, they haven’t been tested on the level that Marquette has.

In their toughest game, they trailed the entire way against UConn, with the Huskies rarely threatened in an 81-71 win at Madison Square Garden.

Beyond UConn, the Longhorns’ highest-rated opponent (at KenPom) is Louisville, who is currently 160th. That matchup, which was in the Empire Classic semifinals, was a one-point win for Texas, courtesy of a buzzer-beater by Max Abmas.

The talent that Texas brings to the table certainly isn’t in question. Of their top five leading scorers last season, only Tyrese Hunter remains.

But Terry pulled in an impressive transfer portal haul, picking up Abmas from Oral Roberts, former UCF guard Ithiel Horton, and forward Kaden Shedrick, formerly of Virginia. That trio leads the team in scoring, with Hunter fourth.

Also, after averaging 4.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 17.4 minutes per game while starting all 38 games last season, forward Dillon Mitchell is off to a fantastic start this season.

Top Players for Texas

• Max Abmas: 16.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 41.2% 3PT
• Kaden Shedrick: 14.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG
• Ithiel Horton: 12.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 48.3% 3PT
• Tyrese Hunter: 12.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 4.1 APG
• Dillon Mitchell: 11.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.7 BPG

They match up very well with Marquette, but can they leave Fiserv Forum with a win? The Golden Eagles will be ready, and after Saturday’s 75-64 loss at in-state rival Wisconsin, they will be itching to get back into the win column.

The loss to the Badgers saw the Golden Eagles hit a season low in scoring, but the Kohl Center in Madison is a tough place to play, and Marquette ran into a team that is on a hot streak at the moment, having won six straight games with wins over Virginia, Marquette, and Michigan State.

If there is anything to be concerned about with the Golden Eagles, it’s their perimeter shooting, which continues to be an issue.

They have shot 40% or better in a game only once this season and are shooting just 31.6% from outside for the season. Since making 22 of 55 from three in their first two games, the Golden Eagles have made just 28.6% (44 of 154) of their outside shots.

Texas vs Marquette Prediction and Picks

Prediction: Marquette to win

Picks: Kam Jones over 16.5 points (-115 at Bovada) & Max Abmas over 14.5 points (-135 at Bovada)

I don’t love any of the spread or total options for this one, but I quite like both of these point props.

Jones was the lone real bright spot in the loss to Wisconsin, scoring 19 points (7 of 12 FG, 3 of 7 3PT, 2 of 3 FT). In his last three games, he is shooting 61.3% from the field.

Abmas, meanwhile, goes into tonight’s game off the back of his two best scoring games of the season. Against Wyoming, he had 23 points (8 of 14 FG, 3 of 6 3PT, 4 of 4 FT), and he followed that up with 26 points (9 of 18 FG, 5 of 12 3PT, 3 of 3 FT) and six assists against Texas State.

Where to Bet on College Basketball

If you are looking for college basketball odds, you will always be spoiled for choice.

Sports betting sites all over the internet offer a vast array of NCAA basketball odds throughout the season, from the opening tip in November to the conclusion of the season in early April.

Along with being able to bet on countless games, many online sportsbooks offer men’s college basketball national championship odds, women’s college basketball national championship odds, men’s Wooden Award odds, women’s Wooden Award odds, and odds on who will win early season and conference tournaments.

Below are some of the books that we highly recommend for college basketball betting:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Other College Basketball Content

• College Basketball Betting Guide
• Men’s Wooden Award Winner Odds
• Women’s Wooden Award Winner Odds