March Madness Team Betting Preview: Creighton Bluejays
The Creighton Bluejays are the 5-seed in the West Region of this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket. Creighton finished second in the Big East regular-season standings and also lost in the conference tournament championship game to an upstart Georgetown team.
As we’ve seen in prior tournaments, guard play is often vital to finding and sustaining success in March. Creighton has a trio of backcourt studs that has to be considered among the best in the country. Greg McDermott’s certainly team has the talent and experience to make some noise in the tourney this year. The following provides an overview of the Creighton Bluejays and a prediction for how they’ll fare in the NCAA Tournament.
FREE Bracket Optimizer: Create a winning bracket in seconds >>
Creighton Bluejays Betting Preview
Record: 20-8 overall, 14-6 Big East
ATS: 13-15
O/U: 13-14-1
Points Scored/Game: 77.0 (41st overall, 2nd in Big East)
Points Allowed/Game: 68.3 (76th overall, 3rd in Big East)
Outright Odds: +5000 (BettingPros Consensus)
Creighton Bluejays Starters and Key Reserves
| Name | Position | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
| Mitch Ballock | G | 10.2 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Marcus Zegarowski | G | 15.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| Denzel Mahoney | G | 12.5 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.1 |
| Damien Jefferson | F | 12.1 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.3 |
| Christian Bishop | F | 10.8 | 5.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Shereef Mitchell | G | 3.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | 6.4 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| Antwann Jones | G | 3.6 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Team Strengths
This Creighton team has the ability to hit you from all different angles. With five players averaging in double figures scoring, this is as balanced an offensive attack as you’ll find. Marcus Zegarowski led all Bluejays with 15.5 points and 4.3 assists per game this season. Both Denzel Mahoney and Damien Jefferson also exceeded 12 points with their per-game scoring averages.
The Bluejays bring a tough defense to the NCAA Tournament as well. Shooting may not always travel (see Creighton’s dismal performance in the Big East Championship Game, for example), but defensive intensity is something that a team can carry with them anywhere.
Team Weaknesses
The aforementioned poor shooting game in the Big East final is cause for concern moving forward into March Madness. Should Creighton have a similarly off night shooting the basketball, they will be vulnerable. As good as the Bluejays are defensively, they aren’t good enough to the point where they can play poorly offensively.
The other wrinkle for Creighton revolves around the team dynamic following Greg McDermott’s brief suspension. The Bluejays took down both Butler and UConn in the Big East Tournament following his reinstatement. This would seem to suggest that there is water over the dam, but it’s at least worth noting.
Check out all of our 2021 March Madness coverage >>
Why They’ll Win it All
Creighton can assert themselves as a serious championship contender if they play better than their season averages. The Bluejays were a solid, balanced team all season long. But in a down year for the Big East Conference as a whole, they never really looked the part of a title contender. If players like Marcus Zegarowski can rise up and exceed expectations under the March Madness spotlight, this team is capable of going on a run.
Why They Won’t Win it All
A shooting performance anywhere close to the Big East Tournament final will spell doom for Creighton. Also, the Bluejays path to get out of the first weekend is not an easy one. UC Santa Barbara presents a formidable challenge in the 5-12 First Round matchup. If Creighton can get past the Guachos, either a stout defensive opponent in Virginia or a red-hot Ohio team will await. If they do advance to play in the second weekend of the tournament, they had better bring their A-game for a likely Sweet 16 matchup with undefeated Gonzaga.
Creighton Bluejays March Madness Prediction
I believe Creighton has the talent and depth to advance to the second weekend of the tournament. Should they indeed reach the Sweet 16, there’s no shot that I’d take them in a matchup against the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs.
With that said, it’s also very possible that the Bluejays are one-and-done. UC Santa Barbara is a legit challenge in the opening round. Creighton will have to be on top of their game from the jump to get through this opening-round matchup. If they do, I will give them an edge over Ohio or a Virginia team with virus concerns in the Second Round.
Win prizes playing our free March Madness Bracket Contest >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive and follow him @HankTimeSports.