The battle for great state of Wisconsin is set as the Marquette Golden Eagles play host to the No.12 Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday evening from the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
The Badgers hosted this yearly showdown last year in Madison with the Golden Eagles laying a beat down on them, 82-63. Wisconsin will be primed to return the favor to Marquette in what is, arguably, their biggest test since their loss to Virginia to wrap up the Battle 4 Atlantis last month.
Wisconsin has gotten off to a strong start, but the home team in this one—Marquette—has some big wins already, too, including a victory over Kansas State. Will the Golden Eagles replicate their success in the matchup from a year ago or is it the Badgers’ turn to deliver a crushing loss on their in-state rival’s home floor?
NCAA Basketball Betting at Bookmaker.eu
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles
Date and Time: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 5 p.m. ET
Location: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Badgers vs. Golden Eagles TV Coverage: FOX
The Badgers’ team goes through Ethan Happ who is one of the best college hoops players in the country. He leads this team in his senior season.
The big man has 17.7 PPG and 10.8 RPG while also notching nearly two blocks per contest. He leads a rather strong Wisconsin frontcourt that also includes strong defense from Nate Reuvers, averaging two blocks per game of his own.
For as good as Happ is, he cannot space the floor and thus is reliant on quality shooters around him and that’s where the team is lacking. D’Mitrik Trice helps some. The athletic guard has 17 PPG and is shooting 49.1-percent from the floor and 60-percent from three. He helps spread the floor and offers the team a reliable shot outside.
Trice was great until he got injured last year and looks to have taken a massive step-forward as a redshirt sophomore this year. He’s joined on the outside by Brad Davison, Brevin Pritzl and Kobe King, but it’s Trice’s backcourt.
On the year, the Badgers have played exceptionally well save a loss to then No.4 Virginia. The team has wins over Iowa in Iowa City while also topping NC State and Oklahoma amongst others.
Overall, the Badgers have been a defensive-minded team and are averaging just 74 PPG as they focus on a slower pace of play. While the total points don’t exactly stand out, they do have solid shooters, particularly outside and are shooting 41.6-percent from beyond the arc as a team.
In the loss to Virginia, the team was just 2-for-11 from three and got next to nothing on the outside. Trice had just five points in 37 minutes on the court. Happ was good for 22 points and added 15 rebounds, but got no help.
On the other side of the court, Marquette has 76 PPG as a team behind three players averaging double-digit points in Markus Howard and Sam and Joey Hauser.
The Golden Eagles haven’t shot the ball quite as well as the Badgers on the young season, particularly on the outside, but they’ve been better on the boards and done a better job handling the ball in the early going of the campaign.
Marquette’s defense failed it last year, but the defense has looked a bit better this season. It’s not an elite defense, but it’s kept Kansas within shooting distance. Indiana is the only team that really exploited the defensive weaknesses to the tune of 92 points.
To combat Happ outside, the Golden Eagles have the Hausers. Same and Joey are combined for 24.4 PPG and 12 RPG while Theo John is a strong defensive option to try and slow Happ.
On the outside, Howard is the star, matching up with Trice quite well. Howard, in fact, has out produced him this year with 22.4 PPG and 4.8 APG. This team’s offense stops and starts with Howard. Trice has been the better shooter this year, but Howard controls everything on the court for Marquette and will be crucial for Wisconsin to slow down.
Live Betting
Marquette took care of business against Wisconsin last year with a 19-point win over the Badgers thanks to big games from Howard and Sam Hauser who go into this contest with plenty of confidence. Howard scored 23 and fellow starting guard Andrew Rowsey had 24 points in 20 minutes as the backcourt carried the Golden Eagles to victory.
Look for a tougher road on the outside for Marquette on Saturday. Davidson and Pritzl were solid enough outside to allow Happ to get to work, but Trice adds a whole extra element. Look for big games from both Happ and Trice.
With that, this game should be much closer than the one we got last year. With that in mind, there should be plenty of exciting live betting opportunities at BookMaker.eu.
Key Player
The Badgers are dependent on Happ in every game. He’s the superstar and he needs a good game. He, however, is pretty reliable at delivering that.
Even if he plays well, however, as he did against Virginia, Wisconsin still needs an outside threat to help space the floor. That’s where D’Mitrik Trice comes in.
It’s no coincidence the Badgers struggled a bit last year without Trice. He’s the closest thing to a proven shooter on the team.
Save for the Virginia game, Trice has scored at least 12 in every contest and has at last 18 in five of the team’s nine games including scoring 20 in the win over Iowa. He’s 30-for-50 from three. Having him shooting well outside is crucial for the Badgers to get the most out of Happ inside, too. Consequently, stopping Trice—not Happ—should be Marquette’s prime objective.
Badgers vs. Golden Eagles Live Betting
Wisconsin has the better defensive team and plenty of motivation after their tough loss to the Golden Eagles a year ago.
Count on a big game from Happ in his senior contest against Marquette while Trice adds an extra element to the team’s offense. Look for Trice to outscore Howard on the outside and that to be the primary difference in what should be a tough battle for each team.
This game will go down to the wire unlike last year. Wisconsin looks to have a slight upper hand here with a chance for revenge.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Wisconsin 78, Marquette 74
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
