The No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers fell to the Duke Blue Devils 80-70 Wednesday night, snapping a seven-game win streak to start the season. The Badgers now take to the road against state rivals, the Marquette Golden Eagles. Can the Badgers rebound and display the dominance of a top-ranked team? Or will they stumble in an intense rivalry?
For more on this weekend’s college basketball action, check out our complete preview for the Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Arizona Wildcats game.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Wisconsin Bagers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Preview
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Wisconsin
When: Saturday, December 6, 12:30 PM ET
Line: Wisconsin Badgers at Marquette Golden Eagles – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
Traevon Jackson scored a team-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting (3-of-5 from downtown), but could not power the Badgers past the Duke Blue Devils in a 80-70 Wednesday. Aside from Jackson, Frank Kaminsky was the only other Badger who scored in double-digits. The preseason All-American scored 17 points.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Jackson’s usually reliable teammates in the frontcourt, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes, were shut down as they finished with only five and four points respectively. Dekker was mired in foul trouble while Hayes was bothered by a lingering ankle issue.
Still, they should be able to dominate the inside the paint if the three big men start to click. Kaminsky and Hayes, averaging 8.8 and 7.5 rebounds respectively, will be favored to nab crucial boards against the shorter Golden Eagles. Meanwhile, Kaminsky and Dekker, who’s averaging 11.8 points this season, will make Marquette’s frontline work on the defensive end.
While the Badgers possess dominant big men, they are also deadly from downtown with some three-point sharpshooters in Kaminsky (.419), Duje Dukan (.409) and Josh Gasser (.450). Marquette has a vulnerable three-point defense (.354) which ranks 240th in the country.
The Badgers are 6-2 ATS this season.
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Betting on the Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette freshman guard Duane Wilson scored a game-high 30 points to power the Golden Eagles to a 67-59 win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday. Senior guard Matt Carlino finished with six points two games after he set a classic record 38 points against Georgia Tech on November 27.
The Golden Eagles will be at a significant size disadvantage against the Badgers, but they have compensated by using their quickness to force their opposition to a lot of turnovers. Senior forward Juan Anderson leads the team with 1.9 of the team’s 9.1 steals per game average, good for 27th in the nation.
But seeing as Marquette’s “big men” (they’re tallest players are 6-7 and 6-6) could also have difficulty getting their shots off over Wisconsin’s much bigger frontline, the team will need to rely on their high-scoring backcourt duo of Wilson and Carlino to rack up the points. Wilson has averaged a team-high 14 points, while Carlino has also averaged in double-digits with 13.1.
The Golden Eagles’ backcourt should have a big game against Wisconsin. The Badgers have allowed opposing guards to lead their teams in scoring in their last seven games.
The Golden Eagles are 3-0 ATS against Wisconsin since 2011.
Writer’s Prediction
The Badgers win, but Marquette manages to cover against their rivals.
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