Marquette vs Providence Odds, Pick for Tuesday

As college football turns to bowl season, college basketball steps to center stage for many fans and bettors. While the last two Saturdays may have felt like the first few real college basketball days of the season, one piece was missing: conference games.

So much of college sports is built around the rivalries and the passion of properly constructed conferences. There might not be a better example of that than modern Big East basketball.

The Big East tips off Tuesday night, including the Marquette Golden Eagles heading to face the Providence Friars. For a highly-ranked Marquette team, it's a tough test that it will need to pass to keep pace in the league standings.

Here's Marquette vs Providence odds and a pick for Tuesday.

Marquette has proven during the non-conference slate that it's among the best teams in college basketball.

Shaka Smart has built a top 20 team on both ends of the floor. Offensively, everything runs through Tyler Kolek, one of the most fluid, skilled point guards in the country. He's surrounded by a group of scorers who shoot 60.3% from inside the arc, eighth-best nationally.

That offense is balanced by an active and ranging defense, which forces turnovers at a high rate.

On offense, Marquette is among the fastest teams in the country. Defensively, Smart's team is going to make you grind through the shot clock to find an opening.

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In the first year of the Kim English regime for the Friars, Providence is riding a little under the radar, partially due to an uninspiring schedule. Providence has played two ranked teams, beating Wisconsin at home and losing at Oklahoma. In their only other games against power conference foes, the Friars beat Georgia and lost an overtime thriller to a solid Kansas State team.

Outside of those four games, Providence hasn't played anyone ranked higher than 220th by KenPom. That schedule tracks as the 299th best.

The Friars will win games with their defense. They showcased that in the victory over Wisconsin. The Badgers managed only 0.88 points per possession and shot 33.9%. AJ Storr scored 22 points on 17 shots for Wisconsin, while his teammates combined to shoot 14-for-45 from the field and 3-for-14 from long range.

The offensive side of the floor has been tougher sledding. Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter make for a potent one-two punch, but Providence has been turnover prone as a team. The Friars are top 50 in the country in turnovers per game and have forced more turnovers than they've committed in just three of 11 games.

If Marquette is going to remain a serious contender for a top seed in March and wants a chance to fight for the Big East regular season championship, this is the kind of game the Golden Eagles need to win. Good teams drop road games like this. Elite teams don't.

Since the realignment of the Big East 10 years ago, the regular season conference champion has averaged just 3.2 losses in conference play, never losing more than five. It's pretty easy to find three, four or even five games that are tougher than this on the Marquette schedule.

If you're not necessarily a believer in this Marquette team, this is a good spot to fade them. I, on the other hand, expect them to remain among the country's elite teams throughout this season. I also like a bounce-back performance after a near upset loss to St. Thomas and I'm curious to see the atmosphere in Providence with winter break looming.

Pick: Marquette -5 or Better

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