The first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament has the No. 15 seed Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the No. 2 seed Marquette Golden Eagles squaring off on Friday in the South Region at 2 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Marquette is a 14.5-point favorite in the latest Western Kentucky vs. Marquette SportsLine consensus pick, while the over/under for total points scored is 157.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Western Kentucky vs. Marquette picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows Marquette junior guard Kam Jones has been red hot of late and has reached double-digit scoring in 13 consecutive games. He scored at least 30 points in four of those outings. He nearly registered a double-double in the Big East Tournament championship game loss to UConn on Saturday, scoring 13 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. He scored 23 points and added five assists and five rebounds in a 79-68 win over Providence in the Big East Tournament semifinals.

The model also knows Western Kentucky junior guard Don McHenry has played big during the postseason and is coming off a 25-point and five-rebound performance in the win over UTEP in the Conference USA title game. He had 18 points and four boards in the 85-54 semifinal win over Middle Tennessee. In 33 games, all starts, he is averaging 15.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and one steal in 27.7 minutes.

Now, the model has set its sights on Western Kentucky vs. Marquette. We can tell you the model is leaning Under on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Western Kentucky vs. Marquette, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!