Overview
- Tipoff is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee with national coverage on TNT.
- Villanova is 12-3 (3-1 Big East) after a loss to Creighton, while Marquette is 6-10 (1-4) after edging Xavier 66-65 to end a six-game skid.
- Villanova coach Ralph Willard criticized his team’s defense as “abysmal” following Creighton’s 66.7% second-half shooting.
- BetMGM lists Villanova as a 4.5-point favorite with a 145.5 total, tracking analytic gaps such as NET 29 vs. 156 and KenPom 25 vs. 116.
- Marquette’s shooting woes persist at 40.3% from the field and 29.5% from three, and guard Sean Jones has missed the past two games with a foot injury.