The college basketball betting board for Wednesday is headlined by a clash between the No. 12 Texas Longhorns and No. 8 Marquette Golden Eagles. The Longhorns are fresh off five days of rest after hammering lowly Texas State while the Golden Eagles will try to bounce back from a tough loss to inter-state rival Wisconsin on Saturday.
Oddsmakers expect them to do just that with college basketball odds installing Marquette as a 8.5-point home favorite for this clash. Here are my best free college basketball picks and predictions for Texas vs. Marquette on December 6.
Texas vs Marquette best odds
Texas vs Marquette picks and predictions
The Marquette Golden Eagles are fresh off a 75-64 road loss against Wisconsin. That was their second loss in their last three games after falling short in their comeback bid against Purdue in the Maui Invitational championship.
Before that defeat against the Boilermakers, the Golden Eagles started the season 5-0 with victories against Illinois, UCLA, and most impressively Kansas. This is a squad that returned four of five starters from the team that won the Big East title and earned a No. 2 seed during March Madness.
The Texas Longhorns are 6-1 to begin this season albeit against much easier competition. While Marquette has faced the eighth-toughest schedule in the country with four games against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, the Longhorns strength of schedule ranks just 254th per ESPN.
They've played against just one ranked team — the UConn Huskies — and lost 81-71. However, Texas gave big man Kadin Shedrick the night off in that contest.
Shedrick is coming off surgery on both shoulders and it was decided he wasn't ready to play in back-to-backs after scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 boards against Louisville. He's been ramping up his minutes though and after that contest, dropped 17 points against Wyoming before logging a season-high 33 minutes and 11 rebounds against Texas State.
With Shedrick in the lineup, the Longhorns are capable of making this game closer than oddsmakers think. Sure the Golden Eagles are at home, but Texas has a battle-tested backcourt that won't shrink under the bright lights. Keep in mind point guard Max Abmas was a March Madness hero at Oral Roberts, and shooting guard Tyrese Hunter has nailed some huge shots in the last two national tournaments.
That's not even mentioning Texas forward Dillon Mitchell, who might be the most talented player on either side. Mitchell was the No. 4 recruit in the country according to ESPN and Rivals in 2022 but saw limited playing time as a freshman. He's averaging 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 30.6 minutes per game this season while shooting 60.7% from the field. Take the Longhorns to cover here.
My best bet: Texas +8.5 (-110 at DraftKings) 50% boost available
Texas vs Marquette same-game parlay
Texas +8.5
David Joplin Under 10.5 points
Dillon Mitchell Over 8.5 rebounds
50% boost available
If the Longhorns want to cover this spread, they'll have to make sure Marquette's complementary scorers don't burn them. Joplin is averaging 8.3 ppg on just 34.4% shooting and hasn't scored more than 10 points in four consecutive games. The power forward has been settling for too many 3-pointers which is bad news against a Texas side that holds foes to just 27.4% from the arc.
The Longhorns will also have to outwork Marquette on the glass to keep things close. Mitchell has snagged at least nine boards in four of the last six games, and the Golden Eagles have struggled on the glass ranking just 276th in the country in rebound rate (47.3%).
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Texas vs Marquette spread and Over/Under analysis
This spread opened with Marquette installed as a 7.5-point home favorite with the Over/Under at 146.5. Early money has poured in on the Over — driving the total up to 150.5 as of noon — while the Golden Eagles are now at -8 or -8.5 depending on the book.
With their highly-efficient offense and quick tempo, they played in plenty of high-scoring games last season but the Under is 5-1 in their previous six contests this year.
The Longhorns might be 6-1 SU but they've had a tough time covering the spread against weak opponents and are just 1-5 ATS in their last six contests. Texas is coming off a 77-58 win against Texas State but just missed covering the spread as 19.5-point chalk.
Texas vs Marquette betting trend to know
Marquette has hit the first half Over in 20 of its last 35 games (+3.90 Units / 10% ROI) while Texas has hit the 1H Over in 23 of its previous 39 contests (+4.65 Units / 10% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Texas vs. Marquette.
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Texas vs Marquette game info
| Location: | Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI |
| Date: | Wednesday, December 6, 2023 |
| Tip-off: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FS1 |
Texas vs Marquette key injuries
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