Two typical conference contenders meet in the first round of the Big East Tournament as the No. 7 seed Marquette Golden Eagles face the No. 10 seed Xavier Musketeers at Madison Square Garden.
It’s a sign of a down year in the conference, which is expected to receive only three NCAA Tournament bids, that these two squads are facing off on opening day.
That being said, the Golden Eagles finished the season on a tear, so I’m betting on them to stay hot in my Marquette vs. Xavier predictions and college basketball picks below.
Marquette vs Xavier prediction
Marquette vs Xavier best bet
Marquette vs Xavier best bet: Marquette -4.5 (-116)
The Marquette Golden Eagles are a developmental program that doesn’t rely on the portal, so there was a natural adjustment period following the loss of several program stalwarts.
Shaka Smart’s proof of concept was evident in an 8-2 ATS conclusion to the regular season, during which his squad ranked 10th in defensive efficiency (BartTorvik).
Freshman guard Nigel James Jr. transformed into a star, and Marquette blew out Providence and upset UConn in its last two games.
Tre Carroll, who leads the Xavier Muskateers and is second in the conference in scoring at 18.0 ppg, was injured in the finale and may be absent or hobbled.
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Marquette vs Xavier same-game parlay
Rick Pitino said it best: “We just guard nobody”. The Musketeers rank outside the Top 250 in defensive efficiency over the last month and play at a fast pace (56th in tempo in that time span), creating a scenario ripe for Marquette to rack up stats.
Chase Ross averaged 7.0 assists in the two regular-season meetings against this Swiss Chees defense and correlates nicely with James, a 35.7% 3-point shooter.
Marquette vs Xavier SGP
- Marquette -4.5
- Chase Ross Over 3.5 assists
- Nigel James Jr. Over 1.5 threes
Our beyond the arc SGP: Stay Gold, Ponyboy!
Filip Borovicanin averaged 2.5 threes against Marquette in the regular season and canned 2+ triples in each of the last three games of the year, so keep an eye on his court-stretching abilities.
Marquette vs Xavier SGP
- Marquette -4.5
- Chase Ross Over 3.5 assists
- Nigel James Jr. Over 1.5 threes
- Filip Borovicanin Over 1.5 threes
Marquette vs Xavier odds
- Spread: Marquette -4.5 | Xavier +4.5
- Moneyline: Marquette -200 | Xavier +155
- Over/Under: Over 154 | Under 154
Marquette vs Xavier betting trend to know
Marquette is 8-2 TS in its last 10 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Marquette vs. Xavier.
How to watch Marquette vs Xavier
| Location | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date | Wednesday, March 11, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Peacock |
Marquette vs Xavier key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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