Game Preview: Marquette Golden Eagles vs West Virginia Mountaineers

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2009

Marquette Golden Eagles (9-3) vs. #6 West Virginia Mountaineers (10-0)

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Marquette vs West Virginia

The Marquette Golden Eagles will travel to Morgantown to tip off against the No.6 Mountaineers on Tuesday at WVU Coliseum.

Since 1980, West Virginia has played Marquette 6 times. West Virginia has won 3 times. Marquette has won 3 times. The last time these two teams met was Jan 10, 2009. The Golden Eagles cruised to a 75-53 victory.

Marquette senior forward Lazar Hayward scored 23 points leading the Golden Eagles to a comfortable 102-62 non-conference finale victory over Presbyterian on Sunday. Marquette had five other players that scored in double figures — Jimmy Butler with 16, Darius Johnson-Odom 15, Maurice Acker and Dwight Buycks added 14 each, and David Cubillan had 10. The team’s 102 points were the most since the squad netted 100 points last season in a win over Milwaukee. The trip to WVU will begin the fifth year in the Big East Conference with the Golden Eagles hoping to improve on the team’s 12-victory league campaign of 2008-09. It will be a challenge as the Golden Eagles lost four key seniors from last year’s squad, including backcourt standouts Dominic James, Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal. Hayward is leading the team and is averaging 18.7 points per game followed by Butler who is averaging 16.1 ppg.

The Mountaineers surrendered a 10-point lead with less than one-minute remaining in regulation but managed to thwart a Seton Hall comeback in overtime coming away with a 90-84 Big East opener win in their last outing. Devin Ebanks scored 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to earn Big East player of the week honors in the win. Da’Sean Butler followed with 21 points while Kevin Jones had a 19-point, 14-rebound double double. Jones is the only Mountaineer player to score double figures in all 10 games this season. Butler continues to lead the Mountaineers in scoring with an average of 16.5 points per game

The odds makers have the Mountaineers as –11 ½ -point favorites.

WVU will test the Golden Eagles lack of depth and size. Marquette will need production from all of their players of they want a victory in this one.

Expect WVU to beat the Golden Eagles, covering the spread.

Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball Betting Trends:

• Marquette is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Marquette’s last 7 games on the road
• Marquette is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road

West Virginia Mountaineers Basketball Betting Trends:

• West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home