Marquette made into the tournament despite not having any major expectations coming into the season. New coach Shaka Smart was going to have patience from the fanbase, but now is playing with house money and has the chance to take down a blue blood program in UNC.
How to watch Marquette vs. UNC Basketball
Game Matchup: No. 9 Marquette (19-12) vs. No. 8 UNC (24-9)
Venue & Location: Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, TX)
Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: TBS (Watch 7 days free with fuboTV)
UNC makes the tournament under first-year head coach Hubert Davis, but the fans certainly expected a higher seed. Such is the life of a blue blood, but the Tar Heels should be happy with what they’ve got and have the chance to build some momentum into next season. With a win over Marquette and potentially Baylor in the second round, UNC fans will surely get over their seeding quickly.
Marquette vs. UNC Odds and prediction
Spread:
- Marquette +3.5 (-110)
- UNC -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline:
- Marquette +140
- UNC -165
Total: Over/Under – 152.5 (-110)
Odds are via BetMGM.
UNC vs. Marquette Basketball Game Betting Preview
Marquette might find itself struggling to guard UNC’s front court as the Golden Eagles are a bit short there. However, despite their stature, they block about five blocks per game. Good for 17th in the country. It might be tough to match that in this game with all of the beef that UNC throws out there though.
UNC has major size in this game and the Tar Heels will likely go as far as Brady Manek and Armando Bacot can take them. Caleb Love and RJ Davis are the other double-digit scorers for this team in the back court that will have to step up and give those two big men some help against Marquette. Outside of those four, the next top scoring player is Leaky Black at five points per game.
While UNC has had a rollercoaster of a season, the one thing it has done well is rebound the ball on defense. The Tar Heels quite often finish off their defensive possessions with a rebound as they collect 29 defensive boards a game and almost 40 total rebounds a game. Those numbers are good for sixth and 18th-best in the country, respectively.
