Marquette Golden Eagles at Creighton Blue Jays Betting Preview

The fourth and fifth seeds in the Big East will square off Sunday afternoon as the Marquette Golden Eagles (17-9, 9-6 in Big East) square off with the Creighton Bluejays (17-8, 9-5 in Big East). Creighton will host this one at the CHI Health Center, with tipoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET.
This will be the second time that the two have squared off after Creighton won 75-69 on the road on New Year’s Day.
Since that time, Marquette has gone 9-3, including a 77-66 win over Georgetown on Wednesday.
In the win, Kameron Jones had a game-high 19 points. Kur Kuath (15) and Justin Lewis (13) also had double digit outputs in the win.
Creighton comes into this game having won four in a row. In their last matchup, they took down DePaul 71-59.
Forward Ryan Hawkins had a double-double in the victory. He had a game-high 25 points to go along with 11 boards. Ryan Kalkbrenner also had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Creighton is the slight favorite playing at home. They are -122 to win while the Golden Eagles’ moneyline sits at +102. The spread features Marquette +1.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 141.
More Odds
Of the two, Marquette has the better odds of winning the National Championship at +8000. Creighton is +30000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Marquette has the stronger of the two offenses this year. They rank 72nd in scoring averaging 74.3 points per game (71.8 on the road). Creighton ranks 199th averaging 69.3 points.
Defensively, it is Creighton with the edge. They rank 69th in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents an average of just 65.7 points per game (61.3 at home). The Golden Eagles rank 183rd, allowing 69.8 points per game (71.3 on the road).
Golden Eagles Look To Avenge Home Loss
After dropping their first matchup at home, the Marquette Golden Eagles would love nothing more than to go into the CHI Health Center and steal a game from Creighton on the road. Not only would it avenge their home loss, but it would also allow Marquette to leapfrog Creighton in the Big East standings.
Leading the way for Marquette is freshman forward Justin Lewis. On the season, he is averaging 16.8 points on 45.3% shooting. He is also adding eight rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Guard Darryl Morsell is the only other Golden Eagle averaging double digits. He is scoring 12.6 points per game to go along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Creighton Looks To Pick Up 10th Home Win
At 17-8, it has been a solid season for the Creighton Bluejays. They have been especially solid at the CHI Health Center, where they are 9-3 on the season. On Sunday, they will look to pick up their 10th home win of the year.
The Bluejays have four players averaging double digits this season, led by senior forward Ryan Hawkins. In 25 games, he is averaging 13.9 points on 44.7% shooting. He is also chipping in 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Other major contributors include Alex O’Connell (12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists), Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks), and Ryan Nembhard (11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals).
Take Creighton To Win And Cover
These two teams are pretty evenly matched, so this one comes down to trends. Not only has Creighton been playing a little better ball as of late, but they have better home/road splits as well.
In fact, coming into this one, Creighton is 9-3 at home while Marquette is 4-5 when playing on the road. Additionally, while Marquette is 9-3 in their last 12 games, they have lost two of their last three.
Expect this one to be close throughout, but expect Creighton to finish strong playing at home. Take the Bluejays to not only win but to cover the small 1.5-point spread as well.