The NCAA Tournament Elite Eight begins today from the East Region when the fourth seeded Syracuse Orange take on the third seeded Marquette Golden Eagles. The game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on CBS. Currently the odds for the game have Syracuse favored by 4.5 points.
In one of the Elite Eight matchups today, we have a rematch of teams from the Big East Conference when the Syracuse Orange take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. The teams met earlier this season in Milwaukee with the home Golden Eagles picking up a 74-71 win.
Syracuse has looked like one of the most impressive teams in the tournament so far, beating up on everyone defensively and allowing just 48 points per game against Montana, California and Indiana. Marquette comes in as survivors, besting Davidson, Butler and Miami by a combined 13 points
Indiana wasn't able to figure out the Syracuse zone defense the other night and it was the reason the Orange were able to win that game. Davante Gardner and the Eagles know how Syracuse plays and they've seen the zone, so there will be more of an advantage for Buzz Williams' team in regards to the familiarity. Gardner dominated the Cuse in the opening game between these two teams by going 7 for 7 from the field, 12 for 13 from the line, grabbing eight rebounds and scoring a career-high 26 points.
Tonight Jerami Grant, Baye Keita, DaJuan Coleman and Rakeem Christmas will look to keep Marquette off the glass. The Eagles aren't exactly an amazing rebounding team but did out-board the Orange in the first matchup. Marquette's Jamil Wilson, Trent Lockett and Vander Blue are all experienced players that will be looking to also hit the boards in this game. Blue has been very impressive so far in the tournament.
Michael Carter-Williams has also been impressive for Syracuse. He had a huge game against Indiana and will look to keep that style of game going in tonight's game. James Southerland and Brandon Triche are going to have to knock down shots for Syracuse tonight or they aren't going to win.
Another key to the game? Free throws. Marquette connected on 29-of-35 free throws in the first game while Syracuse was just 5-of-7. Basketball isn't always rocket science. Yet in tonight's game we like Syracuse. The Orange have played extremely well and they are coming off a very big win over Indiana. Look for the Orange to hit the boards hard and get to the line more in this one.
Free Pick: Syracuse 71, Marquette 65
College Basketball Free Picks: Syracuse vs Marquette Betting
What college basketball bettors need to know about Marquette Golden Eagles vs Syracuse Orangemen on Saturday (3/30/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo, with Ken Thomson.