Cinderella wannabe Murray State tries to advance to the second round of the tournament when it takes on Marquette in a West Regional third-round game Saturday in Louisville.
The Racers, the six seed in the West, reached Saturday's play by soundly beating 11th-seeded Colorado State Thursday 58-41, while the third-seeded Golden Eagles got to Saturday by bopping BYU Thursday 88-68.
This matchup is a neutral-site affair being played at KFC Yum! Center.
The Golden Eagles sit at 26-7 (16-12-2 ATS) on the season. By comparison, the Racers are currently 31-1 (16-12 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? Marquette is 19-11 OU, and Murray State is 12-16 OU.
View Murray State vs Marquette Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Racers are listed as 4.5-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks such as Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Golden Eagles sit at No. 21 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Racers sit at No. 34 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Racers will win this game 82-79.
How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Marquette has the nation's No. 27-rated offensive output, at 76.3 PPG. The visiting Racers defense ranks No. 28 allowing on average 60.6 PPG. The Golden Eagles FG% has averaged 45.9% so far, less than the Racers marksmen have achieved on the year, 47.4% per game.
Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Murray State owns the country's No. 36-rated mark, allowing 63.7 points per game on the highway. Marquette, on the other hand, rates No. 25 in scoring at home.
Murray State was a 58-41 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Colorado State. They covered the 5-point spread as favorites. Isaiah Canaan scored 15 points leading the Racers to a 58-41 victory over Colorado State at KFC Yum! Center on Thursday.
Last time out for Marquette, they were an 88-68 Sportsbook as they battled BYU at home. They covered in the match as a 5.5-point favorite. Marquette cruised to victory on Thursday, running BYU out of the gym and running up an 88-68 score at KFC Yum! Center.
