Marquette and Creighton will start their conference play Monday, December 14, when the Bluejays welcome the Golden Eagles at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, so I bring you the best betting picks and tips for this Big East showdown.
These two schools take on each other for the third time in 2020, while the No. 8 Bluejays will aim for their fourth straight victory over the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles blew a big opportunity in LA
The Marquette Golden Eagles are coming off a 69-60 defeat at the UCLA Bruins this past Friday, failing to cover a 4.5-point spread in a tough matchup on the road. They blew an eight-point first-half lead and a chance to pull off an upset mostly thanks to 18 turnovers and only four treys out of 20 attempts from deep.
It was Marquette’s fifth straight defeat on the road, and the Golden Eagles dropped to 4-2 on the season. They score 107.4 points per 100 possessions (51st in the country) on 43.8% shooting from the field (187th) and surrender 90.5 points in a return (34th) on 35.4% shooting (20th).
Senior guard Koby McEwen is Marquette’s leading scorer this season with 15.3 points per contest. He’s also averaging 4.3 boards and 2.8 assists a night while shooting 50.0% from the field and 43.3% from beyond the arc.
Freshman forward Dawson Garcia rises to the challenge, tallying 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while another freshman Justin Lewis adds 8.8 points and 6.5 boards a night. The Golden Eagles have posted 41.7 rebounds per game so far, enough for the 56th-most in the nation.
The Bluejays enters Big East play as No. 8 in the AP Top 25 Poll
After a 73-72 defeat at the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks, the Creighton Bluejays thrashed off the Nebraska Cornhuskers 98-74 as 14-point home favorites this past Friday to improve to 4-1 on the season. The Bluejays used the second-half surge to demolished the Huskers who trailed by just four points at halftime.
Creighton continues to impress offensively, scoring 113.0 points per 100 possessions (6th in the country) on 51.3% shooting from the field (32nd). On the other side, the Bluejays allow 91.3 points per 100 possessions (41st) on 38.9% shooting (75th).
Junior PG Marcus Zegarowski leads the way for the Bluejays with 15.0 points and 6.0 assists per game. Senior guard Denzel Mahoney has 15.0 points on 44.7% shooting from the field per contest, while junior wing Christian Bishop adds 13.6 points and 5.6 boards per game.
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”ncaab/creighton” size=”300×250″ site_id=”atsio” css=”float:right; margin-left:10px”]Trends:
Marquette:
- 0-4 ATS in the last four outings on the road
- 4-8 ATS in the last 12 games overall
Creighton:
- 10-3 ATS in the last 13 games overall
- 8-2 ATS in the last ten home games
The Winner Prediction
The Bluejays could struggle on the glass, as the Golden Eagles’ frontcourt has the advantage in this matchup, but Creighton’s backcourt is brutal and should be a key factor. Keep tracking the odds update on BetAmerica or DraftKings, and don’t hesitate to buy a few points if the hosts open as favorites of five or more points.
The Golden Eagles should keep it close, but I think the Bluejays’ offense will be too much for the visitors. Therefore, I’m taking the Creighton Bluejays and points here. They are undefeated in 11 consecutive outings on the home court, covering eight times in that span. Furthermore, the Bluejays are 3-0 straight up and ATS in their last three meetings with Marquette.
Pick: Take Creighton -6.5
The Total:
The Bluejays have surpassed the 90-point mark in three of their five outings thus far. They’ve dropped 72 points on the mighty Jayhawks’ defense, so I’m backing the over in this one.
While Creighton loves to play at a fast pace, averaging 72.9 possessions per 40 minutes (86th in the nation), Marquette tallies 71.3 possessions per 40 minutes (182nd), promising some high-tempo basketball when they take on each other.
The over has hit in three of Creighton’s last four games overall, and it is 3-0 in the Bluejays’ previous three showings at home. Also, the over is 6-2 in the last eight matchups between the Bluejays and Golden Eagles. On the other hand, the under is 4-1 in Marquette’s last five tilts overall.
Pick: Go over 149.5