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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Stony Brook-Marquette prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Stony Brook-Marquette.
The Marquette Golden Eagles had a big chance to make the Final Four last season. Shaka Smart had what was clearly his best team in Milwaukee. In 2023, Marquette was ahead of schedule and got a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team lost to Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the second round of March Madness, a true basketball education for a team believed to be on the rise. Last season, the core of that 2023 team came back for a run at the brass ring. Marquette was once again a big hitter in a Big East which included national champion Connecticut and 2023 Elite Eight team Creighton. Those three teams were the only Big East schools to make the NCAA Tournament. Marquette was once again a No. 2 seed in March. The expectation was to get to the Final Four.
Marquette had a good draw, too. Instead of playing third-seeded Kentucky in the Sweet 16, the Golden Eagles drew 11th-seeded North Carolina State, a team which had to win all five games at the ACC Tournament just to make the NCAA Tournament field. The Wolfpack benefited from Kentucky losing to 14th-seeded Oakland in one of the huge upsets of the 2024 NCAA Tournament first round. Marquette was a dramatically better team than NC State over the course of the full regular season. NC State looked like an NIT team until it captured the surprise automatic bid by winning its conference tournament. Marquette couldn't have asked for a better scenario. Moreover, if the Golden Eagles had beaten the No. 11 seed in their region, they would not have played top-seeded Houston in the Elite Eight game. The Cougars, bitten by an injury to star player Jamal Shead, lost to Duke in the Sweet 16. Marquette had everything lined up.
It couldn't finish.
The Golden Eagles died on the 3-point line against NC State, hoisting a lot of long balls which didn't go in. Marquette wasn't able to get to the basket, and its offense withered on the vine in a brutal loss which lingers until a program can erase it with a successful Final Four run. Marquette loses stars Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro from last season's team. Shaka Smart's 2024-2025 team is still expected to be good, but it might not have as high a ceiling as his previous two teams. Few will expect Marquette to get the No. 2 seed it has attained each of the last two seasons.
Here are the Stony Brook-Marquette College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Stony Brook-Marquette Odds
Marquette just isn't as good this season as it was the past two seasons. There will be some growing pains for this squad as it tries to learn how to play together. Stony Brook might not win outright, but with the spread at a very large 22.5 points, it can certainly stay competitive enough to cover the spread.
Why Marquette Will Cover The Spread/Win
Everyone on this Marquette roster has a point to prove. Shaka Smart will have his team ready to go at home. If MU gets off to a good start and builds an early 10-point lead, that margin can snowball into a 25- or 30-point lead by the time this game ends.
Final Stony Brook-Marquette Prediction & Pick
It's the first night of college basketball, a notoriously volatile sport. You should be withholding pregame bets and should be looking for live, in-play bets for the vast majority of games on the Day 1 slate. This one is no exception. Pass.