The Wisconsin Badgers take on the Marquette Golden Eagles in Milwaukee, WS. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. EST on FOX.
Marquette is favored by 7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -325. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here are my Wisconsin vs. Marquette predictions and college basketball picks for December 7, 2024.
Wisconsin vs Marquette Prediction
My Pick: Marquette -245
My Wisconsin vs Marquette best bet is on Marquette moneyline with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Wisconsin vs Marquette Odds, Lines, Pick
| Wisconsin Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 148.5 -110/-110 | +260 |
| Marquette Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 148.5 -110/-110 | -325 |
- Wisconsin vs Marquette spread: Marquette -7.5
- Wisconsin vs Marquette over/under: -148.5
- Wisconsin vs Marquette moneyline: Wisconsin +260, Marquette -325
- Wisconsin vs Marquette best bet: Marquette -330 or Better
My Wisconsin vs Marquette College Basketball Betting Preview
Wisconsin Basketball
The Badgers have been one of the early surprises in the college basketball season, starting with eight straight wins including victories over Arizona, UCF, and Pitt. The vibes shifted a touch with Wisconsin's Big Ten opener, a home loss to Michigan in an ugly low-scoring game, but Greg Gard still must feel good about the state of his program as winter arrives in the Midwest.
Wisconsin's surprising start has been largely fueled by the emergence of John Tonje as an all-conference caliber performer. The 23-year-old is a sixth-year senior who arrived in Madison with little fanfare. He was a productive player at Colorado State, adding to his scoring total each year and peaking as a 14.6 point per game scorer as a senior. He then used his fifth year of eligibility for a year at Missouri, where he was limited by injury, playing in only eight games and scoring 2.6 points per game as a Tiger. In his first nine games as a Badger, he's been the primary scorer for Wisconsin, averaging 22 points per game and topping his prior career-high twice.
Tonje's explosion has turned the Badgers from a team with a high floor to one with some ceiling and expectations this season. Gard brought back a lot of production from last season (79th in minutes continuity, per KenPom) and a very experienced team (35th in experience). Wisconsin was always going to be smart and tough enough to compete. Losing last season's leading scorer and starting point guard, AJ Storr to Kansas and Chucky Hepburn to Louisville, left a vacuum at the top of the roster. Tonje is filling that vacuum, with some help from sophomore guard John Blackwell, who is posting 15 points per game as a secondary scorer.
As teams adjust to this new look Wisconsin attack, the Badgers will sink or swim on the defensive end of the floor. Thus far, Wisconsin has lucked out with opponents shooting a high volume from deep, but hitting just 29 percent of those looks.
Marquette Basketball
Like Wisconsin, Marquette started 8-0 before a tough loss to a ranked team. The Golden Eagles stacked up even more impressive wins on their hot streak, besting Purdue and Georgia, with a road win at red hot Maryland.
In an era where college basketball teams re-build and re-tool on the fly, Shaka Smart's team at Marquette is a throwback. Smart lost his two best players from last season, All-Big East honorees Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro, to the pros. In their absence, Marquette has looked inward. The Golden Eagles don't have a player who transferred this offseason in the rotation. Instead, the players who served as role players on both ends of the floor last season have been elevated to new roles and have largely answered the bell.
Kam Jones was a great scoring option last season, yet did most of his work playing off the ball-dominant Kolek. This season, it's Jones with the ball in his hands and he's excelling. He's joined by David Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, and Chase Ross, all productive players in the past who have stepped up and become reliable double-figure scorers.
Best of all, the continuity on the roster has been a godsend on the defensive end, where Smart's teams have always buttered their bread. This Marquette roster is very athletic, with Smart's eye for toughness and intensity shining through. Add in the comfort level of playing together year after year and Marquette has the tools to be an elite defense in college basketball this season, especially on the perimeter. Ross and Mitchell are junkyard dogs covering ball-handlers, as seen in the dominant win over Purdue where the Boilers coughed up 15 turnovers.
Wisconsin vs. Marquette Betting Analysis
Wisconsin is a tough team to get a feel for this season. Tonje has played too well to be a flash in the pan, yet his effectiveness is sure to dip when he becomes the main focus of every opposing defenses' scouting report. On top of that, Wisconsin should see some defensive shooting regression and has made the highest free throw percentage in the nation thus far, which should take a dip at some point.
That may be enough to lean towards Marquette, but with the spread opening at 7.5 points, I'm not ready to back the idea of a blowout in this rivalry game. I lean heavily towards a Golden Eagles win, but that spread is too rich for me. If you're open to the idea of betting a -315 favorite, the moneyline is a good call. Otherwise, it's a stayaway as long as the spread stays north of five points.
