The Providence Friars take on the Marquette Golden Eagles in Milwaukee, WI. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
Marquette is favored by 11.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -600. The total is set at 147.5 points.
Here are my Providence vs. Marquette predictions and college basketball picks for February 25, 2025.
Providence vs Marquette Prediction
My Pick: Marquette -11.5 or Better
My Providence vs Marquette best bet is on the Golden Eagles spread, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Providence vs Marquette Odds
| Providence Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -115 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | +440 |
| Marquette Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -105 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | -600 |
- Providence vs Marquette spread: Marquette -11.5
- Providence vs Marquette over/under: 147.5 points
- Providence vs Marquette moneyline: Marquette -600, Providence +440
- Providence vs Marquette best bet: Marquette -11.5 or Better
Spread
My best bet is on Marquette to cover the spread. I think the Golden Eagles match up well and will find a way to build a margin.
Moneyline
While I'm betting the Golden Eagles to cover, I don't see value on the extremely-juiced moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm staying away from the total in this Big East battle.
My Pick: Marquette -11.5 or Better
Providence vs Marquette College Basketball Betting Preview
Providence Basketball
When February started, the Friars were struggling but treading water. Providence was 5-5 in conference, with eyes on a chance to avoid a Wednesday opening-round game in the Big East Tournament.
Since then, the Friars have dropped five of their last six, including two road losses by a single possession. It has been a demoralizing stretch for a team now battling some roster issues.
I’d say it was the injury bug, but Providence’s issues have expanded beyond injuries. Jabri Abdur-Rahim is out for the season with a torn meniscus, but Christ Essandoko has missed games or lost minutes due to the flu, while Corey Floyd has been sidelined after being the victim of a hit-and-run car accident.
According to efficiency data from EvanMiya, Providence’s best five-man lineup this season features all three of those players.
Abdur-Rahim has been especially valuable on the defensive end of the floor. Per Hoop-Explorer, Providence allows 1.02 points per possession with him in the lineup but 1.1 points without him, largely thanks to opponents shooting 47% at the rim with him on the court versus 57% without him in the paint.
Marquette Basketball
After a few years of punching among the nation’s best teams and earning 2-seeds in the Big Dance in each of the past two seasons, the Golden Eagles have taken a half-step backward this year.
As we project forward to big games in March, the most critical games on Marquette’s schedule are the meetings with the other top three teams in the Big East: UConn, St. John’s and Creighton.
So far, Marquette has played four of the scheduled six games against those opponents, losing three and beating Creighton at home — arguably the easiest of the six games.
In the month of February, Marquette’s only wins are the two easiest victories on the Big East slate: home dates with DePaul and Seton Hall.
Most recently, Marquette was blown out at Villanova after allowing 1.35 points per possession — easily the Golden Eagles' worst defensive outing of the season. Villanova made 15-of-26 from 3-point range, including a breakout from freshman Jordann Dumont, who had taken just seven 3s all year but hit 4-of-4 against Marquette.
You’d presumably see some shooting luck bounce back, especially against a lackluster Providence team.
The last time these teams met, Marquette routed PC on the road, leading by more than 30 without an eye-popping 3-point performance. Marquette’s swarming defense forced 22 Friar turnovers and gave up just 17 made baskets.
If the Golden Eagles defense is even half as effective in the rematch, Marquette should be in a position to win easily.
Providence vs. Marquette Betting Analysis
There’s a blaring red alert on this game based on each team’s ability to care for the ball.
Marquette is the least turnover-prone team in the Big East, while the Providence defense is the third-worst at forcing them.
On the other side, Marquette is the second-best Big East defense at forcing turnovers, while Providence coughs the ball up more than any other team in the conference.
When these teams met on New Year’s Eve, Providence committed 22 turnovers to just five by Marquette. The downstream effects of that imbalance were clear. Marquette shot 11 free throws and 66 field goals, but Providence took 14 free throws and just 50 field-goal attempts.
At face value, that is jarring. Dig deeper, and it seems even worse.
Of the 22 Providence turnovers, 15 were credited as steals by Marquette. These were not deadball changes of possessions, but in many cases “pick-sixes” heading the other way for easy looks in transition.
Anything close to a repeat of that performance would lead to another Marquette blowout. It’s unlikely to happen to that extreme again, but Marquette should still have the upper hand.
Add in the roster changes on the Providence side and a bounce-back performance by the Golden Eagles, and Marquette should be poised to win and cover here.
