College Basketball on Monday and we will see the Syracuse Orangemen travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on ESPN. Currently the Odds for the game have Syracuse favored by 1.5 points while the   total sits at 131.5.

Analysis: As recently as two days ago, a matchup between Syracuse and Marquette was set to be a showdown between two of the Big East’s top three teams. But when the Golden Eagles host the Orange on Monday, they will do so with the loser likely out of the picture for the regular-season conference title.

In its final bout as conference foes with long-time rival Georgetown this past Saturday, Syracuse was flattened in a 57-46 loss. The setback ended a Division I-leading 38-game home winning streak for Syracuse. With the loss, the Orange is now 22-5 overall while falling into a tie with both Marquette and Louisville for second place in the Big East standings.  The Orange’s offense, which has been an issue at times this season, posted its second-worst scoring total ever at the Carrier Dome in the 57-46 loss to the Hoyas. Syracuse is 4-4 over its last eight games and the conference’s second-highest scoring offense has failed to top 58 points or shoot better than 36.7 percent from the field in three of those contests. Leading scorer Brandon Triche (14.7 points) has been held to fewer than 10 points in three of his last six games and is only 8-of-40 beyond the arc over his last seven contests. Normally Syracuse is one of the more efficient offensive teams not only in the Big East, but the country as well. The Orange score 109.6 points per 100 possessions which is the 27th-best total in the nation. On defense, the team holds its opponents to fewer than 59.2 points per game on 37 percent shooting. Controlling the boards is a major key as the Orange are 12th in the country on the glass (39.9 pg).

For Marquette, a 60-56 loss at Villanova ended a modest two-game win streak for the team. The Golden Eagles are still seeking their 20th win of the season, which would make them the sixth team in the Big East to reach that plateau this year. Like Syracuse, the Golden Eagles know a little something about winning at home as they are a perfect 14-0 at the Bradley Center this season. The Golden Eagles rely on their bench as much as any team in the country, but key reserve Davante Gardner (11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds) is coming off his third two-point game over the last seven contests following Saturday’s 60-56 setback at Villanova. Incidentally, all three games have resulted in Marquette losses. The Golden Eagles rank 11th in the conference in rebounding, but has outboarded each of their last three opponents by 13.3 per game. It’s a stark contrast to the previous four games in which Marquette was outrebounded three times by nearly four per game. Offensively speaking, Marquette is also a team that plays efficient basketball. The Golden Eagles are shooting a solid 46.5 percent from the floor, which ranks third best in the Big East. Marquette also own s a +7.0 scoring margin, but at the Bradley Center that number jumps to an incredible +21.3, with the Golden Eagles scoring 78.5 points per game on their home floor. Defensively, MU holds its enemies to right around 40 percent shooting and just 62.2 points per game.

Pick: This should be a flat out ugly game. We know that both teams have the potential on off to put up some solid offense, but these two teams play excellent defense and that should keep the scoring down. Marquette comes in ranked 59th in the nation in defensive efficiency and they allow just 61.6 ppg on 39.9% shooting. For the Orangemen they come in ranked 8th in defensive efficiency and they allow just 59.2 ppg overall. They do allow 66.4 ppg on the road, but on just 42.5% shooting. Neither team is great from long range as the Cuse hit just 30% on the road, while Marquette hits 27.8% at home and 30% overall (308th). Marquette relies on their inside game, but the Orange are 21st in the nation in 2 pt defense, allowing just 42.4% inside the arc. Lastly we note that neither team is really uptempo as the Cuse are 172nd in that category, while the Golden Eagles are 236th. Typical Big East game where we see a slow paced defensive battle.  

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