St. Thomas vs Marquette Odds, Pick
| St. Thomas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+24.5 -110 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | OFF |
| Marquette Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-24.5 -110 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | OFF |
Here's NCAAB odds and a pick for St. Thomas vs Marquette.
The Marquette Golden Eagles will play their third straight game at home on Thursday when they host the St. Thomas Tommies at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Marquette has established itself as one of the very best teams in all of college basketball this year, but St. Thomas comes in with a winning record hoping to shock fans everywhere.
Shaka Smart's team is the real deal. It enters this game with eight wins in 10 games, and it's played a very tough schedule already that includes key victories over Illinois, UCLA, Kansas and Texas.
Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones make up one of the strongest backcourts in the country, and they'll look to assert their dominance in this one.
On the other end, St. Thomas will look to see what it's made of when it takes on its first KenPom top 100 opponent of the season. The Tommies have won six of their 10 games, and enter this game with a three-game winning streak under their belts.
Let's dive a little bit deeper into the matchup and see if there's anything for Marquette to worry about.
St. Thomas Tommies
For starters, St. Thomas' best players have tons of experience in college basketball. The Tommies' three leading scorers are all listed as seniors. Parker Bjorklund averages the most points per game (13.9), but Raheem Anthony and Drake Dobbs can also fill it up.
But high scoring totals aren't what head coach Johnny Tauer is looking for.
The Tommies play a deliberately slow pace (359th in the country in tempo), intentionally draining the shot clock to put pressure on opposing defenses.
The Tommies shoot the ball well from 3-point range, where they make 35% of their shots as a team. They also shoot a lot of them, as 44% of their shot attempts come from outside, which is the 43rd-most in the country.
They have the makings of a team that can get hot from outside, and if they limit possessions, they'll have a chance in this game.
Marquette Golden Eagles
The problem is that it's difficult to limit possessions against this Marquette team for a handful of reasons.
First, Marquette plays much faster than St. Thomas, and second, the Golden Eagles' defense is great at turning teams over on the defensive end.
Marquette ranks 16th in the country in forced turnover rate, causing offenses to cough it up on 22% of their offensive possessions. That starts in the backcourt with the aforementioned Kolek and Jones, who are capable of disrupting the other team's flow from start to finish.
It'll be a shock if Marquette is not the team that's dictating the action in this game. The Golden Eagles should assert their dominance physically and let their talent win out.
St. Thomas vs. Marquette
Betting Pick & Prediction
In the end, it's difficult to see St. Thomas having a real chance to win this game. But it's not difficult to see it hanging around.
The formula is simple: patience offensively, limit turnovers and make a few shots from outside. The Tommies have been able to do that in their last three games. Marquette will make it tough, but on a sleepy Thursday night during exam week, give me the underdog to cover here.
Pick: St. Thomas +24
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