Marquette vs Western Carolina Prediction 11-30-24 College Basketball Picks

The Western Carolina Catamounts and the Marquette Golden Eagles meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Fiserv Forum. Here’s a Marquette vs Western Carolina prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Marquette vs Western Carolina pick.

Western Carolina Catamounts Betting Preview

Western Carolina hasn’t been very busy yet this year, with only five games in the bag so far. The Catamounts went 2-1 over their first trio with a loss to Queens NC between wins over Bob Jones and Truett McConnell. The next pair were both losses to Wake Forest and Florida State.

Matched up against the Seminoles back on Tuesday, the Catamounts were drilled 49-26 in the first half. Western Carolina didn’t get any closer on a 42-31 run from there and lost big 91-57. Brandon Morgan led the way in the losing effort with 13 points.

Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Preview

Over on the Marquette side, they’ve gotten off to a nice 7-0 start this year with only a couple of relative close calls along the way. The Eagles have beaten Stony Brook, George Mason, Central Michigan, Maryland, Purdue, Georgia and Stonehill in that time.

In Wednesday’s game with the Skyhawks, Marquette didn’t have too many issues. After a 51-31 run in the first half, the Eagles closed with 43 more points in a 94-59 blowout. David Joplin topped the team with 27 points and seven rebounds along the way.

Why the Marquette Golden Eagles will win

• Marquette has won each of its last 11 games against non-Conference opponents at Fiserv Forum.
• Western Carolina has lost each of its last three road games.
• Marquette has won the first half in each of its last 11 games against non-Conference opponents at Fiserv Forum.

Why the Western Carolina Catamounts will win

• Western Carolina has won each of its last six day games against non-Conference opponents.
• Western Carolina has won the first half in each of its last seven day games against non-Conference opponents.

Marquette vs Western Carolina Prediction

I’ll lean toward Marquette here, but realistically the line’s too thick to mess with. The Eagles demolished an overmatched Stonehill squad in their last outing, shooting a blistering 60.7 percent from the field with 32 rebounds and 14 team assists. That makes 70 or more points in every game so far for Marquette, who has won four of seven games by 11 points or more.

As for Western Carolina, they were blitzed by Florida State in their last outing. The Catamounts shot just 32.8 percent from the field with 19 turnovers and now have consecutive double-digit blowout losses. The Eagles should be able to control this matchup pretty easily from wire to wire, which should result in a smooth cover so long as Marquette doesn’t call the dogs off early.