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The 10th seed Marquette Golden Eagles face the 7th seed South Carolina Gamecocks in an East Region first round NCAA Tournament game that will take place at a neutral site at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina Friday March 17th at 9:50 PM ET. South Carolina is as low as a one point favorite at many sportsbooks over Marquette in one of the last game to tip off in the opening round. The total hit the board at 146.5, but has been bet down to 145 at many betting outlets.
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Marquette is coming off an 82-76 loss to Seton Hall in their last game where they failed to cover the spread as a 2.5-point favorite. The total number of points scored in the game was 158, which was over the closing line of 148.5. Previous to the Seton Hall game the Golden Eagles had covered the spread in two in a row and in their last three games the total has gone over every time. Marquette had won two straight games before the loss to Seton Hall.
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South Carolina is coming off a 64-53 loss to Alabama in their last game where they failed to cover the spread as a 5-point favorite. The total number of points scored in the game was 117, which was under the closing line of 122.5. The Gamecocks have failed to cover the spread in nine of their last 10 games, including their last three, and in three of their last four games the total has gone under. South Carolina has lost their last two games.
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Offensively, Marquette is putting up 82.5 points per game, which ranks 17th in the nation, on a 48.7% FG average, which ranks 10th in the nation. On the defensive side of the ball the Golden Eagles are allowing 75 points per game on a 45.6% FG average.
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South Carolina is putting up 72.1 points per game on a 41.1% FG average, which ranks 17th in the nation. On defense the Gamecocks are allowing 64.5 points per game on a 40% FG average, which ranks 17th in the nation.
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These teams last met in the 2005 season where Marquette beat South Carolina 92-89 in OT.
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Marquette Golden Eagles at South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Trends<br />
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Marquette is 4-2 against the spread in their last 6 games overall.
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The Golden Eagles are 4-2 straight up in their last 6 games.
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South Carolina is 1-9 against the spread in their last 10 games.
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The Gamecocks 2-5 straight up in their last 7 games.
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The game total has gone under in 4 of South Carolina’s last 6 games.
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Public Money Consensus<br />
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In this NCAAB matchup between Marquette and South Carolina have the public backing the visiting Golden Eagles minus the 1.5 points with 65%. The over/under bettors are definitively banking on this game staying under the posted total line of 145.5 with 77% on board.
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