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The Creighton Bluejays are set to face the Providence Friars. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Creighton Providence prediction, odds, and pick.
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The Creighton Bluejays are a very young team. Last year's group was a veteran squad which made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Gonzaga. That was a team built to make a deep run. The departures to the pros in the offseason left Creighton with a very inexperienced team. It was going to be a huge challenge for coach Greg McDermott to make a run to March. Yet, that is exactly what he has done. College basketball odds analysts are impressed.
What adds to the special quality of Creighton's season is that Ryan Nembhard, a core player who logged substantial minutes (over 30 per game), got injured a few weeks ago. It would have been easy for Creighton to collapse without a key component of its lineup and a player who was constantly on the floor for the Jays. Yet, Creighton continued to win and stay on an NCAA Tournament course. This is probably McDermott's best coaching job in Omaha. Big East Tournament odds evaluators would be inclined to agree. The Jays have exceeded all expectations and are playing with house money in this game against the regular-season Big East champion from Providence. Think about that when making a Creighton Providence prediction.
Providence has been one of the huge successes and feel-good stories of the season in college hoops. The Friars don't have any superstar players, and yet coach Ed Cooley gave them their first regular-season Big East championship. Cooley is the favorite to be the 2022 Division I Coach of the Year if you were to ask college basketball odds experts. Bruce Pearl of Auburn, Mark Adams of Texas Tech, and Tommy Lloyd of Arizona have all been terrific, but Cooley has won with less talent. Providence has been spectacular in close games this season, making late free throws and getting crunch-time defensive stops. You want to incorporate that reality into a Creighton Providence pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Creighton-Providence odds:
Big East Tournament Odds: Creighton-Providence Odds
Creighton: +3 (-106)
Providence: -3 (-114)
Over: 131 (-110)
Under: 131 (-110)
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Why Creighton Could Cover the Spread
The Bluejays are playing great even without Ryan Nembhard. They convincingly beat Marquette in Thursday's Big East Tournament quarterfinals. This team is playing terrific defense, led by lengthy big man Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is altering shots in the paint and providing elite rim protection. Providence has already won the regular-season Big East title. The Friars always put forth a good effort, but they might not have as much hunger as Creighton does in this game.
Why Providence Could Cover the Spread
The Friars win close games. They have been doing it all season. Maybe they will win by only one or two points, but if they win by four or five here, they still cover the spread. They might even win by seven or eight, just for fun.
Final Creighton-Providence Prediction & Pick
Providence is a great story, but the Friars are bound to have a mental letdown after all the quality work they have done. Creighton will have more energy and will win this game.
Final Creighton-Providence Pick: Creighton +3
