A great college basketball betting opportunity is on the way on Tuesday, December 19 at 8:30 PM ET between the sixth-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles (9-2) and Providence Friars (9-2) in the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Rhode Island. The Friars are slight favorites with the point spread at +4.5 (-115).

 

 

The Golden Eagles have won their last three games and are 4-1 in their last five as they approach this next game. Their most recent win was a 84-79 triumph over the St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies, which was a bit of a scare against a huge underdog team.

 

Kam Jones has been excellent for the Golden Eagles, averaging 15.6 points, shooting 48.4 percent from the floor, and netting 80.8 percent of his free throws. They will need strong guard play from him if they want a chance at winning.

 

They are averaging 80.2 points on offense per game and shooting 48.9 percent on the floor. They find the open man well with 16.1 assists each game.

 

Defensively they are averaging 67.2 points each game and landing 32.9 rebounds total. They are also creating 2.1 blocks and 8.6 steals per game to create a little havoc on the other end.

 

 

The Friars are also 4-1 in their last five games, while currently on a two-game win streak. Their most recent success was a 78-64 performance over the Sacred Heart Pioneers, where Bryce Hopkins did anything he wanted with 26 points and 12 rebounds.

 

Hopkins will be hard to stop, as he averages 17.2 points, shoots 45.8 percent from the floor, and grabs 8.3 rebounds per game. If the Golden Eagles cannot contain him, the Friars might have a chance to win.

So far they are averaging 74.6 points per game and shoot 47.2 percent from the field. They do a fine job at moving the ball and get 14.0 assists per game.

 

The Friars are allowing teams to average 63.5 points per game, which is a nice margin of safety. They grab 38.0 rebounds overall, which could change the outcome of the game if they are crashing the boards well. They also average 6.4 blocks and 6.3 steals each game.

 

 

MyBookie shows the odds for this matchup, with the Golden Eagles as slight favorites to win. However, the point spread offers the Friars as slight favorites to either win or lose by less than five points.

 

 

According to market analysis, the Golden Eagles have a 56.0 percent chance of winning. Their success against ranked opponents so far gives them an appealing opportunity to do well here.