Tonight at 10pm EST we have a great match up between
two Top 25 teams. The 24th ranked Wisconsin Badgers take on the undefeated #12 Creighton Blue Jays. See why we like Creighton with our NCAA basketball picks.
About this match up
Surprisingly, Creighton has opened up a 1 point underdog
with the total set at 129. This game will be played on a neutral court at the
Imperial Arena in the Paradise Islands, Bahamas. Creighton is 4-0 on the
season, beating every team they have played by 20+ points. Wisconsin is 3-1, their lone loss coming against Florida.
Pace of the game will dictate the out come
You couldn't possibly get two more different types of match ups in terms of offensive tempo
in this game. Creighton loves to push the ball up the court, run and gun while
getting shots up in a hurry. Wisconsin loves to slow the game down,
playing in the half court set while using the entire shot clock looking for the
best shot available. If Creighton is able to establish the tempo early in this
game - and we think they will - they should win this going away. If Wisconsin can
get Creighton playing a half court game, we may just have ourselves a ballgame; in my opinion, however, that is not going to happen.
Creightons explosive offense
Ready for these off-the-chart numbers? The Blue Jays are
shooting a blistering 57% from the floor, 40% from three and 75% as a team from
the free throw line. Those monstrous percentages have lead Creighton to average
85 points a game. Everyone knows about super star Doug McDermott (16 PPG) but
Gregory Echenique has been the real star of this team so far this year. The 6
foot 9 center has completely come out of his shell this year, averaging nearly a
double double at 12 points per game and 8 rebounds. The man has been a beast
inside, hustling to every single loose ball, coming away with big offensive
rebounds and is a major force on the defensive side, swatting any layup that
comes his way.
Creighton can light up the scoreboard but they can lock you
down on defense as well. On the year the Blue Jays are allowing teams just 56
points per game on 36% shooting and 27% from three. One of the most well
rounded teams in the country.
Take the ML instead of the one point
Creighton on the ML is available at even money at BetOnline, and we like that instead of laying the -110 juice for getting just 1 point,
especially when we like Creighton to win straight up. As we said in our Florida
– Wisconsin article - a game we nailed the Gators on - I just don't believe
this is one of the best teams Bo Ryan has had. In fact, it may be
one of the worst he has had in quite some time, and I don't see them being in
the Top 25 after this game is over. The Badgers just don't have
the athletes or pure scorers to be able to run and gun with the Blue Jays here.
Pick: Creighton
ML +100 at BetOnline.