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Creighton Bluejays vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Odds & Game Pick

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The No. 15 Creighton Bluejays take on the No. 19 Marquette Golden Eagles in a key Big East battle. Creighton is one game behind the conference-leading Seton Hall Pirates, while Marquette aims to separate itself from a logjam with Providence and Butler. These schools have met 53 times in their histories, with Marquette holding a 38-15 series edge. However, Creighton has won the last two matchups after dropping the prior six, dating back to 2016.

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Details

  • Opening Line: Marquette -2.5 (at FanDuel)
  • Current Line: Marquette -2.5
  • O/U: 154
  • Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
  • Start Time: 8:30 PM ET– February 18th, 2020
  • Last Meeting: January 1st, 2020- Creighton def. Marquette 92-75

Overview

The Creighton Bluejays (20-6, 9-4 conf) are the hottest team in the Big East at the moment. They have won seven of their last eight games, with the lone loss in that span coming at Providence. However, Creighton has proven they can beat the best teams in the conference on the road. Also, in the last eight games, they have won at Villanova and at Seton Hall. In the latest AP rankings, Creighton moved up the most of anyone in the country since last week, jumping from No. 23 to No. 15. They rank 13th in the NET, 14th in RPI, and have ten combined Quadrant 1 and 2 wins.

The Bluejays are an outstanding offensive team, ranking fourth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. They take good care of the basketball, turning it over on just 16.4% of their possessions (that ranks 32nd in the country). They are 17th in the country in three-point shooting and 13th in the country in effective field goal percentage. Creighton’s top four scorers are all guards, and they all average in double figures. Ty-Shon Alexander, Marcus Zegarowski, Denzel Mahoney, and Mitch Ballock all shoot better than 73% from the free-throw line. Of those four, just Mahoney shoots worse than 38% from three-point range. 

The Marquette Golden Eagles (17-7, 7-5 conf) have won six of their last eight games. In that span, their only losses are an overtime loss at Butler and a one-point loss at Villanova. The Golden Eagles have won their last four home games by an average of 14.3 points per game. They rank 15th in the NET, 15th in the RPI and have played the sixth-toughest schedule in the country.

Marquette, like Creighton, is also an outstanding offensive basketball team. They rank 16th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. They are sixth in the country with a 38.8% three-point shooting percentage. The Golden Eagles are led by Player of the Year candidate Markus Howard. Howard averages 27.3 points per game. In their last game against Villanova, Howard became the Big East’s all-time leading scorer in league games with 1,408 points. 

Trends

  • The Creighton Bluejays are 15-9-1 against the spread
  • The Creighton Bluejays are 12-11-2 against the over/under
  • The Marquette Golden Eagles are 16-8-0 against the spread
  • The Marquette Golden Eagles are 13-11-0 against the over/under

Bottom Line

The first meeting between these two teams was the conference opener for both. In that game, Creighton shot 50% from the floor, including 9-23 (39.1%) from three-point range. They committed just nine turnovers while forcing Marquette into 16 turnovers. Creighton led the whole way, and their largest lead was 26 points. They did as good a job as you can on Markus Howard, holding him to just 18 points on 6-16 shooting. 

With as well as Marquette has played at home of late, a change in scenery can make all the difference in the rematch. The Golden Eagles will be well-rested after having the weekend off. Earlier in the year, Marquette was too reliant on Howard. Lately, they have been getting excellent production from Sacar Anim and Koby McEwen. Though the Golden Eagles rank last in the conference in forcing turnovers, they are decent at defending the three. They rank fifth in the conference allowing opponents to shoot 31.8% from long distance. 

Marquette will need to do a good job running Creighton off the three-point line and forcing them into tough twos. The Golden Eagles should own a nice rebounding edge. They rank second in the conference in offensive rebounds allowed, while Creighton is dead-last in the conference in rebounding their own misses. Head coach Steve Wojciechowski will make the necessary adjustments to contain the Bluejays’ high-powered offense. In addition, there should be some regression to the mean, as Creighton will not shoot 50% from the floor again. The Fiserv Forum will be rocking, and Marquette will certainly feed off its energy. Look for Marquette to secure the win and keep climbing up the Big East standings.

PICK: MARQUETTE -2.5

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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.