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The Villanova Wildcats take on the Creighton Bluejays. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Villanova Creighton prediction and pick. Find how to watch Villanova Creighton.
The Villanova Wildcats and Creighton Bluejays both carry plenty of questions into this Big East battle. It's a huge game, given that both teams have absorbed some bad losses this season and can't afford to get off to a bad start in Big East play. UConn and Marquette look like the class of the conference, so any game these two teams drop in conference play which is not a game against the Huskies or Golden Eagles will really put them behind the eight-ball in the conference race, even though we haven't yet reached Christmas Day or the new year.
Villanova has struggled against its Philadelphia neighbors in the Big Five set of basketball rivalries. The Wildcats got shredded in Philly and ate losses to Penn, Saint Joseph's, and Drexel. Villanova has, however, collected good wins over Memphis and North Carolina plus other wins versus Maryland and Texas Tech. Villanova's collection of results has made everyone wonder which team is the real thing — the team which loses to Drexel or beats North Carolina? Will the true Wildcats please stand up? We will see if this game reveals a lot about the Wildcats' strongest tendencies, and the game should move the needle one way or the other in helping people see just how good Villanova is — or isn't — this season.
Creighton is also a puzzle. The Bluejays have looked really good in most of their games, but they have played brutally bad basketball in their two losses, both against Mountain West opponents. The loss to Colorado State came against a good team. CSU is strong and will likely make the NCAA Tournament. Even then, however, the Jays scored just 48 points versus the Rams and could not have played any worse than they did.
The even more head-scratching loss for Creighton came against UNLV. The Rebels — unlike Colorado State — are not good, and yet they decisively mopped up the Jays by 15 points, 79-64. Creighton just seems to be a team which plays really well most of the time but then steps into a pothole every fifth game or so. Villanova should give the Jays a stern test.
Here are the Villanova-Creighton College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Villanova-Creighton Odds
Villanova Wildcats: +8.5 (-102)
Creighton Bluejays: -8.5 (-120)
Over: 141.5 (-115)
Under: 141.5 (-105)
How To Watch Villanova vs Creighton
Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats have lost only one game to a non-Big Five (Philadelphia-based) opponent this season. It's really weird, but it's reality. Villanova's wins over North Carolina and Memphis looked good at the time the Wildcats achieved them. Now the win over Memphis looks a million times better, with Memphis handling Texas A&M and Virginia in recent days. Villanova has definitely trended upward over the past few weeks. Coach Kyle Neptune might be finding his footing with this roster.
Why Creighton Could Cover the Spread
The Jays have had their stumbles, but both stumbles have been away from home. This team plays really well in Omaha, and after that ugly loss to UNLV, you can bet that Creighton will be focused. The Jays should play well.
Final Villanova-Creighton Prediction & Pick
Creighton on the money line feels like a solid pick, but in terms of the spread, that's way too uncertain for this game, given how erratic both sides have been at times in 2023. Stay away from the point spread play.
Final Villanova-Creighton Prediction & Pick: Creighton -8.5
