Big East Conference Games: Marquette at UConn Highlights Week

The Big East Conference games have some strong matchups this week, with Connecticut playing two games against other ranked teams. No. 20 Providence visits St. John’s on Saturday and the Friars aren’t going to have an easy time with the Red Storm in what should be a solid game.

Tuesday, Feb. 7

The Big East Conference games schedule starts off with a good one, as No. 10 Marquette (19-5) visits No. 21 Connecticut (18-6). The Huskies are favored by 4.5 and the total is 149. The number is a bit on the high side, but UConn is more than capable of posting a big win. Both offenses are ranked in the top 10 in adjusted offensive efficiency.

The big difference is defense, where UConn is No. 20 and Marquette is No. 54. When the teams met earlier this season, the NCAAB scores showed the Warriors coming away with 82-76 victory. Expect the Huskies to return the favor in this one.

St. John’s (14-10) visits Butler (11-13) in what should be a decent game between a couple of teams struggling against the top teams in the Big East. Butler is favored by 1.5 with a total of 144.5. This one is a battle of contrasting styles. St. John’s leads the conference in scoring. Butler leads the Big East in defense. The Red Storm thumped the Bulldogs 77-61 earlier in the season. But this is a good spot for Butler to pick-up a conference win. The Bulldogs should be one of your college basketball predictions best bets for this week in the Big East.

Wednesday, Feb. 8

The Big East Conference games for Wednesday begin with No. 23 Creighton (15-8) visiting Seton Hall (15-9). The Blue Jays will be slim favorites here with a total near 135. Creighton had no problems with Seton Hall at home, winning 83-61, and it’s hard to imagine the Pirates being able to change the outcome so much. But Seton Hall is catching the Blue Jays after a tough game with Villanova and a date with UConn on tap. This is a definite letdown spot for Creighton, so it’s tough to back the road team in this one.

DePaul (9-15) travels to Philadelphia to face Villanova (10-13) and the Wildcats will be close to 10-point favorites with a total near 144. Villanova’s 2-point offense should be able to score some against DePaul’s inside defense. The best chance for the Blue Demons is to hit some perimeter shots to soften up the Villanova defense. DePaul isn’t a bad shooting team from 3-point range. But Villanova’s offense should be the deciding factor in this game.

Friday, Feb. 10

No. 13 Xavier visits Butler for the lone conference game on Friday and the Musketeers will be favored by about 7 points with a total near 150. Xavier can score and owns one of the best offenses in college basketball. The Bulldogs are likely to try and slow the pace down a little bit and let their defense get involved in the game. The Bulldogs are average offensively and are unlikely to outscore Xavier. Instead, Butler will need to keep the game in the upper 60s or low 70s to have a chance. If the total comes out at 149 or higher, this one could be a decent under play.

Saturday, Feb. 11

No. 20 Providence takes to the road to face St. John’s for an early Saturday game and the Friars will be favored by about 4 points with a total near 154. The Red Storm is decent when it comes to forcing turnovers and will need to get a few here. St. John’s defense will have a tough time if Providence is getting off its normal allotment of shots. St. John’s will be looking to play up-and-down. Providence is fairly average in terms of pace. This one could be worth a look at the over as long as the line is 155 or lower.

The best of the Saturday Big East Conference games, UConn visits Creighton in a battle of ranked teams. Expect the Blue Jays to be favored by about 1.5 points and the total should be close to 144. The Huskies won the first game at home, so this one is a revenge game for the Blue Jays. UConn has slightly better efficiency ratings than Creighton, although both offense and defense are pretty close. The Huskies shoot the 3-pointer better, while the Blue Jays are a little better in 2-point range. For Creighton, the key will be to stop Connecticut on the offensive glass. The Huskies are No. 10 in the nation in offensive rebounds. But Creighton does a strong job of limiting second chances. Creighton is worth a look at Blue Jays -2 or less.

This one could be a decent game, as Seton Hall visits Villanova. The Wildcats should be favored by a couple of points, with the total in the low 130s. The Pirates can play tough defense but the Wildcats are a solid offensive team, especially inside. Villanova is the best free throw shooting team in the country and that could come into play here. The Wildcats are probably the right side in this one.
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