UConn vs. Marquette odds, line: 2021 college basketball picks, Dec. 21 prediction from proven model

Connecticut finds itself out of the AP Top 25 Poll and in an early hole in the Big East following a loss to Providence on Saturday. The Huskies have lost two of their last three and try to get things turned around on Tuesday, when they take on Marquette, who is looking to snap out of a funk of its own, with three losses in its last four games. Marquette is 8-4 overall and 5-1 at home, while the Huskies are 9-3 overall and 0-1 on the road so far this season.

Tip-off from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee is set for 9 p.m. ET, but the Golden Eagles have only been able to cover the spread twice at home this season. The Huskies are favored by 4.5 points in the latest Marquette vs. UConn odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 141. Before entering any UConn vs. Marquette picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Marquette vs. Connecticut. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Connecticut vs. Marquette:

• Marquette vs. Connecticut spread: UConn -4.5
• Marquette vs. Connecticut over-under: 141 points

What you need to know about Marquette

Marquette came up short against the Xavier Musketeers this past Saturday, 80-71. The top scorer for Marquette was guard Greg Elliott, who had 18 points off the bench on a 6-of-10 shooting night. Justin Lewis was the best player in the starting lineup, and he finished with 15 points, seven rebounds a block and a steal. Lewis is Marquette's top player this season, and his season-long averages mirror his totals from totals from his showing against Xavier.

One of the unfortunate things about Marquette's season thus far is that the Golden Eagles haven't been able to capitalize on poor shooting from their opponents. Teams playing Marquette this season have hit just 31 percent of their 3-point attempts and 60 percent of their free throws. Meanwhile Marquette has also only been able to hit 31 percent of its 3-pointers, and was below that threshold in two of its last four games.

What you need to know about Connecticut

UConn was handed its first home loss of the season by Providence on Saturday night, 57-53. Guard R.J. Cole (16 points) and guard Tyrese Martin (15 points) were the top scorers for the Huskies. Long guard Andre Jackson only scored four points, but finished as the top rebounder in the game, with 14. Jackson leads the team in rebounding this season, with an average of 8.1 per contest.

Huskies players have had to pick up the slack left by forward Adama Sanogo, who is likely to miss the next few games with an abdominal injury. He had been averaging 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for UConn, and was in the midst of taking a big step forward from his role last season. The Huskies average just under 80 points per game, but have been tough on defense, and have only allowed opponents to hit 41.9 percent of their 2-point attempts, which is second best in all of college basketball.

How to make Connecticut vs. Marquette picks

The model is leaning over on the total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.