College basketball picks: Marquette-Xavier prediction, odds, spread for January 15

We have a ranked Big East showdown to look forward to on Sunday afternoon as the No. 25 Marquette Golden Eagles hit the road to battle the No. 12 Xavier Musketeers at noon ET. The game will take place at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati and will air on Fox.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Marquette vs. Xavier odds

Spread: Xavier -3.5
Over/Under: 163
Moneyline: Xavier -165, Marquette +140

Marquette (14-4, 6-1 Big East) is cruising on a six-game win streak heading into this matchup and last toppled UConn in an 82-76 victory on Wednesday. This was a tight ballgame in the second half and the Golden Eagles were able to grab control down the stretch to extend their winning streak in conference play. Oso Ighodaro led the way with 19 points in the victory.

Xavier (14-3, 6-0 Big East) is riding a 10-game win streak into this showdown and last edged Creighton in a 90-87 victory this past Wednesday. The Musketeers withstood a late surge by the Bluejays as a Trey Alexander three cut their lead to one in the final seconds of action. Fortunately for them, Souley Boum was able to effectively ice the game with a pair of free throws afterwards. He led the way with 26 points, eight assists, and five rebounds.

The Pick: Over 163

This will be a battle of two of the best offenses in the nation as both units are ranked in the top five in adjusted efficiency. They're both elite in effective field goal percentage and don't squander scoring opportunities too often. This should be a fun battle to watch and I'd advise to take the over.

  
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