Two of the best in the Big East take the stage as Marquette visits Creighton. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Marquette-Creighton prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Marquette comes into the game sitting at 22-6 on the year, while also 13-4 in conference play. This places them in second in the Big East, two games back of UConn. they have won 11 of their last 12 games as well. The only loss was an 8-153 loss on the road to UConn. Since then, they have been dominant. Marquette beat Depaul by 34, Xavier by 24, and then Providence by 22.
Meanwhile, Creighton is 21-8 on the year, but 12-6 in conference play, placing them in third place in the conference, three and a half games behind Marquette. They have won five of their last six games, including beating UConn by 19 at home. Still, they had a letdown the next time out, falling to St. Johns by 14. This will be the second time these two have faced off, with Marquette coming away with the 72-67 home victory last time they faced.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Marquette-Creighton Odds
Marquette: +3.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +128
Crieghton: -3.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -154
Over: 151.5 (-110)
Under: 151.5 (-110)
How to Watch Marquette vs. Creighton
Time: 2:30 PM ET/ 11:30 AM PT
TV: FOX
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Marquette Will Cover The Spread/Win
Marquette comes into the game ranked 11th in the nation in KenPoms adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 21st in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 14th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Marquette is 38th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 16th in effective field goals percentage and 14th in assists to turnover ratio. Kam Jones leads the way with 15.9 points per game this year while shooting 49.5 percent from the field. He is also shooting 40.1 percent from three. Meanwhile, Tyler Kolek comes in with 15.0 points per game, while leading the team in assists, with 7.6 assists per game. Still, he was injured last time out, and may not play in this game. Rounding out the top scorers is Oso Ighdaro comes in with 14.0 points per game this year while shooting 61.3 percent from the rifled.
Marquette is 274th in rebounds per game this year, sitting 251st in defensive rebounding rates, and 218th in offensive rebounding rates. Ighodaro leads the way here too. He comes in with 7.3 rebounds per game on the year with over three rebounds per game on the offensive end of the court. Kolek sits second on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game on the season.
Marquette is 74th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, sitting 15th in steals per game. Stevie Mitchell has been great on defense this year. He comes in with 2.0 steals per game, and only turns over the ball .6 times per game. Meanwhile, Kolek has 1.6 steals per game, while three other players have over a steal per game. One of those is Ighodaro, who also has 1.3 blocks per game this year.
Why Creighton Will Cover The Spread/Win
Creighton is 12th this year in KenPom adjusted efficiency rankings and has been solid on both sides of the court. They are 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Creighton is 25th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting third in effective field goal percentage. Baylor Scheierman leads the way this year. He comes into the game with 18.2 points per game this year. Further, he has 4.0 assists per game. He is one of three guys averaging over 17 points per game on the season. Trey Alexander comes in with 17.6 points per game and also is dishing the ball well, with 4.8 assists per game. Rounding out the top guys is Ryan Kalkbrenner. He comes in with 17.1 points per game while shooting 64.8 percent from the field this year.
Creighton comes in ranked 48th in the nation in rebounds per game on the year and second in the nation in defensive rebounds per game. This is led by Scheierman and Kalkbrenner as well. Scheirerman comes into the game with 8.7 rebounds per game this year, while Kalkbrenner comes in with 7.4 rebounds per game. Trey Alexander has also been solid, with 6.1 rebounds per game on the year.
Creighton is 88th in the nation in points against per game this year, while sitting 12th in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. One of the big helps is Kalkbrenner. He comes into the game with 2.9 blocks per game, while consistently forcing bad shots down low. Meanwhile, Trey Alexander has 1.1 steals per game, but this is an area Creighton can improve. They averaged just 3.9 steals per game this year while turning the ball over 10.7 times per game.
Final Marquette-Creighton Prediction & Pick
While Marquette has the better record in conference play and won the first match-up this will be close. The two teams are nearly identical in KenPom's rankings. Further, Marquette has injury concerns with one of their best players Tyler Kolek. If he is out, a lot of production from the game is missing, as well as the main person handling the ball on offense. Creighton is also the better rebounding team, and controlling possessions, especially at home will be vital. Take the home team to come away with the win in this one.
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Final Marquette-Creighton Prediction & Pick: Creighton -3.5 (-102)
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