Creighton vs. Marquette Odds
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 154.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
| Marquette Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 154.5 -110o / -110u | -165 |
The Creighton Blue Jays have taken a backseat to other potential NCAA title contenders after dropping their fifth straight game earlier this week. They are now 6-5 going into a tough Big East test on the road against the Marquette Golden Eagles.
Marquette does not have a bad loss this season. The Golden Eagles have only been defeated by top-40 KenPom opponents: Purdue, Mississippi State and Wisconsin. They have notable wins over Baylor at home and Notre Dame on the road.
Shaka Smart has his team defying market expectations — going 7-4 against the spread thus far — so the Golden Eagles are a little bit underrated, especially in the Big East.
Creighton likely has the defensive edge in this game — it's the more well-rounded team — but Marquette is a lethal opponent when playing at Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles dropped their first home game since January 1, 2022 when they played Wisconsin two weeks ago.
Look for Marquette to win by a couple of possessions in this game, particularly if Ryan Kalkbrenner is somewhat limited from the illness that's held him out the last two games.
Creighton Bluejays
The Bluejays are crumbling at the moment. Losing to Arizona and Texas were not horrid losses, but dropping three straight — to Nebraska at home and BYU and Arizona State on a neutral court in Las Vegas — does not look good.
This team may have the edge defensively, but it does not guard the perimeter well. The Bluejays are allowing the opposition to shoot over 35% from deep, which ranks 240th in the NCAA.
Marquette primarily scores on 2s and 3s, avoiding the free-throw line.
With that said, Tyler Kolek, David Joplin and Kam Jones all shoot plenty of 3s, and can sink them.
This will provide the Golden Eagles a massive boost in front of their home crowd.
Tyler Kolek’s P&R playmaking translates to the NBA level. Has a great feel of hitting the roll man and dishing out to open spot up shooters once the defense commits.
Currently leads all high-major players in the @CerebroSports Floor General Skills Rating (*min 5 games played) pic.twitter.com/lcPVT1tcHy
— KeeseeHoopScouting (@HoopKeesee) December 7, 2022
Now, Creighton does crash the glass well, but only on defense. It ranks 16th in doing so, while Marquette ranks 200th or lower in both offensive and defensive rebounding.
This is why if Kalkbrenner is not over his illness — or if it takes a game for him to bounce back — he will not have the edge he typically does in the paint.
Marquette Golden Eagles
Creighton could probably exploit Marquette’s occasional tendencies to foul on defense, but the Bluejays rank 247th in free-throw attempt percentage and only shoot a collective 71.1% from the strike anyways.
Marquette does have its own problems on the defensive end. Opponents are shooting 34.5% from outside, so the Golden Eagles have a similarly poor perimeter defense — without the caliber of schedule — to the Bluejays.
Creighton ranks 57th in 3-point attempts per field goal attempts, so it will find some open looks in this game.
That said, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander are the only Jays eclipsing 33% with at least 10 3-point attempts.
The Golden Eagles also have five players averaging at least one steal per game, so even though Creighton does not turn the ball over often, Marquette's guards will at least be able to zero in on Alexander.
If Olivier-Maxence Prosper can match up with Scheierman, the Eagles can essentially eliminate the deep threat.
Excited to see the growth Marquette's Olivier-Maxence Prosper makes this year. He plays with great effort on both ends of the floor, is a tough finisher at the rim, has interesting defensive potential, and an emerging 3-PT shot. I think he steadily rises up draft boards in 2023. pic.twitter.com/l8FciS6Plu
— Evan Wheeler (@Evzsz) June 28, 2022
Creighton vs. Marquette Betting Pick
Marquette is such a great home team, and it's flying under the radar.
This team is neck-and-neck in talent with Creighton and has a better offense. This should give the Golden Eagles the advantage on Friday night.
If Kalkbrenner is out, take the Golden Eagles from -3 (-110) to -6 (-110). If he is playing, take them to -4.5 (-110). Expect the Marquette backcourt to annoy Scheierman and Alexander enough to give itself the edge over Creighton.
