Our March Madness odds and pick series will continue on Sunday with a huge tilt in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The South Region will feature the 6-seed Creighton Blue Jays take on the 3-seed Baylor Bears in an extremely close game betting wise. Which team will punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen? Check out our March Madness odds series for our Creighton-Baylor prediction and pick.
The Creighton Blue Jays find themselves in this game after beating 11-seed NC State 73-63. In a back-and-forth contest for most of the game, the Blue Jays were able to find clutch shots down the stretch and pull away from the pesky Wolfpack. They'll have a much bigger test in facing the Baylor Bears who are ranked 11th in the country.
The Baylor Bears advance to the Round of 32 after a dominant win over 14-seed UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos hung in and led Baylor by one point at half, but the Bears slowly locked in on defense and pulled away with some exciting plays to close the game. They'll have to play their best game of the season against a hot shooting Creighton team.
Here are the Creighton-Baylor March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Creighton-Baylor Odds
Creighton: +1.5 (-122)
Baylor: -1.5 (+100)
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
How To Watch Creighton vs. Baylor
TV: TBS
Stream: NCAA March Madness Live, fuboTV
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET/4:10 p.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Creighton Could Cover The Spread
Creighton only shot the three-ball at 15% in their first tournament win, but more than made up for it with their high-percentage shots in the paint. The three is usually their weapon of choice when first coming out in the game, but a slow shooting start saw Creighton look down low to their big man Ryan Kalkbrenner. He had 31 points and seven rebounds in that game, so look for them to feed him again if he can find a mismatch.
Baylor Scheierman has been exceptional in rebounding the basketball as a guard and leads their team. His ability to get his teammates involved when kicking the ball out is a big reason the Blue Jays find so many open shots. Against a defense like Baylor, they'll have to have more luck from behind the arc. Baylor closes in on the ball well so look for Creighton to find offense through their off-ball movement.
Why Baylor Could Cover The Spread
The Baylor Bears had a close call for a second against UCSB, but showed their poise and experience in opening up a big lead late in the game. The Bears managed to cause 14 turnovers on 5 steals and a block against the Guachos. Once their defense kicks up, the Baylor Bears become a very dangerous team with their offensive attack. Look for Guard Adam Flagler to act as floor general in setting the pace for the Bears. They'll be more athletic team so they should look to run in transition after Creighton's missed shots.
The Bears were a good covering team at 17-15 this year. They'll also be the small favorite, which is a spot they've gone 20-8 SU. To win this game, Baylor will have to force the Blue Jays into another cold shooting night with active defense and pressure on the perimeter. Their big men should be able to contain Kalkbrenner, so look for the Bears to lock in on the guards of Creighton and force tough, contested shots.
Final Creighton-Baylor Prediction & Pick
Baylor will win this game by getting in the faces of the Creighton shooters and boxing out with intent. The team with the rebounding advantage will likely win in a razor-thin matchup like this, so our prediction if for the Bears to control the boards and win this game with their defense. Let's take Baylor to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Final Creighton-Baylor Prediction & Pick: Baylor Bears ML (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe