Defense Will Win Game Between Marquette And Butler

Marquette vs. Butler, 6:30 ET

Just one play yesterday, but it was a similar result to what we had last week - a win. I had a play in the game between Duke and Wake Forest and it wasn't something that coasted to the finish line but we were able to grab a victory. At halftime Duke held just a two-point lead in a low-scoring game. The game still didn't go over the total, but they at least got offenses going in the second half, and that was enough to get Duke to cover the seven-point spread and win by eight. Let's hope tonight's picks are a little less nerve-wracking and they start with a game between Marquette and Butler. 

Marquette is putting together quite the season. They've got a dynamic back court with two strong guards averaging over 14 points per game. Both Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones shoot over 36% from deep and 46% from the floor. Their front court is led by Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin. Ighodaro is both a scorer and a rebounder. He is adept at getting the board and then putting it back up, but he also keeps working on defense to try and keep the opposing team off the glass. Joplin is more of a scorer than rebounder, but he can stretch the floor and make opponents not be able to clog up the paint. Even more than the offensive efficiencies of Marquette, I like the fact that they average 8.8 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. They have seven players on their roster that average nearly one steal per game. Kolek almost averages two steals per game which makes up for his three turnovers he averages a game. He does balance out turnovers with 7.5 assists. Marquette has five losses this season and only one has come at home this season. It was against Butler where they lost 69-62. Marquette has to be out for revenge. 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 07: Butler Bulldogs mascot Blue IV on the court during the men's college basketball game between the Butler Bulldogs and New Orleans Privateers on November 7, 2022, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Butler is a good team and they have a combination of athletic guards that can both shoot and find ways to the basket. DJ Davis is scoring 14.5 points per game and shooting 45% from the floor, 39% from three, and an outstanding 96% from the free throw line. He isn't even their leading scorer. In that first game against Marquette, Butler was able to dominate the second half of the game and won it by 14 points. They were able to get 38 points from three guards and outshined the Marquette back court on the road. Davis didn't really contribute much in that game either. It was a bit shocking because they didn't really win any other area of the game. The biggest advantage they had was that they hit five more threes than their opponent and shot 45.5% from deep while Marquette only hit 16% of their three-pointers. You would think that the Bulldogs would shoot even better at home than on the road. Marquette will still need to lock in on defense in order to win this game. Butler has just four losses this season and only two have come at home. One was against Seton Hall and the other was against UConn. Both games were relatively close with them being losses of six and seven points. 

Losing to someone in your conference is never easy to accept. Butler scoring the way that they did in the first game was impressive. I am not quite sure that it is replicable though. I also think that this may be one of those revenge games where Marquette is pissed because their only home loss of the season came at the hands of Butler. The line opened a bit tighter with a 2.5 favorite for Marquette and has been pushed to 4.5 already. I think Butler might keep this close, but more than anything, I think this is a defensive game. I'll take under 153.5 in the game. I think Marquette has to lock in and I think it will take Butler some time to get their offense going. 

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