Vermont vs. Marquette prediction and odds for NCAA Tournament First Round

The Marquette Golden Eagles were both the Big East regular season and tournament champions, and as a result have earned themselves the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They’ll face the Vermont Catamounts out of the America East in the Round of 64 on Friday.

The Golden Eagles will look to get past the first round of the Tournament since 2012 and will try to avoid losing in the first round for the fourth straight appearance.

Let’s dive into the odds for the game and then I’ll give you my best bet.

Vermont vs. Marquette odds, spread, and total

Vermont vs. Marquette prediction and pick

Instead of betting on a double-digit spread, I’m going to look at the total in this game and bet on the OVER instead.

Both of these teams are three-point shooting squads, yet neither of them can defend the three ball well. Vermont ranks 47th in the country in 3-point shot rate while Marquette ranks 66th.

Meanwhile, Vermont ranks 225th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (34.6%) and Marquette ranks 258th in that stat (35.2%).

Marquette also plays at a fast pace of play, ranking 31st in the country in field goal attempts per game. If Vermont wants to keep pace with Marquette, the Catamounts will have to try to match them and increase their pace of play.

I’ll take the OVER in this 2 vs. 15 matchup.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.