Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Picks, Predictions, Odds

Kevin Rogers Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

This Saturday’s college basketball betting action in the Big East gets an early start with the Creighton Bluejays going on the road to face the No. 17 Xavier Musketeers. Game time from Cintas Center in Cincinnati is set for 12 p.m. (ET) on FOX.

Score Prediction

Xavier 73, Creighton 60

Best Bets

Xavier -9.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Predictions

The Bluejays have been idle since losing to the Villanova Wildcats by 34 points on Jan. 5 as 10.5-point road underdogs. This followed a stunning upset against Villanova in their Big East opener and a six-point road win over Marquette as slight 1.5-point underdogs. Creighton is currently 10-4 straight-up with nonconference losses to Colorado State and Iowa State.

Xavier is coming off a tough four-point loss to Villanova on Wednesday night as a two-point favorite at home. After beating Marquette by nine points in their conference opener, the Musketeers lost to the Wildcats by 13 points on the road in late December as 5.5-point underdogs. Their other conference win came against Butler in a 15-point romp on the road.

The main thing these two teams have in common is quite a bit of playing time against Villanova, as the highest-ranked team in the Big East. The overall gap in talent between the two heavily favors Xavier and that should become rather evident with a win at home on Saturday that covers the current spread.

Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Betting Odds

Creighton +375
Xavier -510
Creighton +9.5 (-110)
Xavier -9.5 (-110)
Over 140.5 (-115)
Under 140.5 (-105)

More Odds | Futures Odds

Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Betting Resources

Matchup: Big East
Date: Saturday, January 15, 2022
Venue: Cintas Center
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
TV-Time: FOX - 12:00 p.m. ET

Creighton Bluejays Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 10-4
ATS: 6-8
O/U: 4-10

Upsetting Villanova is a major plus on Creighton’s resume. Earlier victories as an underdog against Nebraska and BYU are two more quality wins. The Bluejays are just 6-8 against the spread overall, but they have managed to cover in three of their last five games. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last nine outings.

A trio of Ryan’s continue to lead the way for Creighton. Forward Ryan Hawkins is the team’s leading scorer with 13.4 points and he also leads the way in rebounds with 7.4 a game. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner is adding 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. He is also the team’s leader in blocks per game with 2.8.

Guard Ryan Nembhard is third on the team in points (12.1) and first in assists (4.4). Guard Alex O’Connell (11.9 points) is one of the team’s best shooters with a 46.4 field goal percentage. Along with Hawkins, these two players are the Bluejays’ biggest scoring threats from three-point range.

Creighton has been able to average 70.4 points per game while shooting 46.9% from the field and 30.1% from outside the three-point line. The team is hitting 69.2% of its shots from the free throw line. The Bluejays are pulling down 38.7 rebounds and holding opposing teams to 65.9 PPG on defense.

Xavier Musketeers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 12-3
ATS: 11-5
O/U: 7-9

It would be hard to see Xavier lose a second straight game at home. The Musketeers gave Villanova all it could handle on Wednesday but just came up a bit short. Along with their SU 12- 3 record on the season, they are 10-5 ATS. Other than the two setbacks against the Wildcats, the only other SU loss came against Iowa State in late November as nine-point favorites.

Xavier’s lineup runs five deep with players scoring at least nine points a game. Guard Nate Johnson tops the list with 12.9 PPG. He is shooting a solid 49.6% from the field and 45.6% from three-point range. Forward Jack Nunge is second on the list with 11.9 points while averaging 7.1 rebounds a game.

Guards’ Paul Scruggs (11.1 points) and Colby Jones (10.9 points) are two more key contributors on an offensive effort that is averaging 75.3 PPG. Jones leads the team in rebounds (8.2) and Scruggs is dishing out an average of 4.1 assists a game.

The Musketeers’ team field goal percentage is 45% and they are shooting 33.7% from three point range and 72.8% from the foul line. They get the slight edge in rebounds with 39.5 a game and their defense has a points-allowed average of 62.8.

Xavier has covered the spread in 10 of its last 15 games. (AP)

Inside the Stats - Creighton Bluejays

Record: 10-4
VI Ranking: 30
PS/G: 70.4 (223rd)
PA/G: 65.9 (111th)
ORtg: 102.8 (182nd)
DRtg: 96.1 (144th)

Inside the Stats - Xavier Musketeers

Record: 12-3
VI Ranking: 20
PS/G: 75.3 (108th)
PA/G: 62.8 (44th)
ORtg: 107.8 (79th)
DRtg: 90 (35th)

Key Players to Watch

CRE: Ryan Hawkins - F (13.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
CRE: Ryan Kalkbrenner - C (12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
XAV: Nate Johnson - G (12.9 ppg)
XAV: Jack Nunge - F (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg)

Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Betting Conclusion

On paper, these two teams matchup rather well. However, Xavier has the clear advantage in team depth. While the overall series is tied 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings, the Musketeers are 7-3 ATS during that same span. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in all 10 games. The home team has won six of the last seven matchups SU.

Xavier remains an upper tier team in the Big East and a legitimate Top 25 team in the nation. Creighton finds itself in a tough spot playing a highly motivated team coming off a tough loss on its home court.

Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Betting Trends

Xavier has covered the spread in 10 of its last 15 games.
Creighton has gone UNDER the point total in 10 of its last 14 games.
Creighton has covered the spread in four of its last six games when playing as the underdog.

College Basketball News

COLLEGE-BASKETBALL APR 9, 2024

March Madness Odds Final Four: Lines, Spreads, Betting Trends For Each Game

Kevin Rogers

Kevin has been handicapping professionally since 2007 at VegasInsider before shifting to ScoresAndOdds. He focuses on MLB, NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, and NHL and mainly uses trends, systems, and situations as his top handicapping angles. More from Kevin Rogers