The Creighton Bluejays have had to deal with some controversy heading into the Big East Tournament, as the team suspended head coach Greg McDermott for making racially insensitive remarks.
But McDermott was reinstated Monday and will be on the bench for the Bluejays' conference tournament-opening game against the Butler Bulldogs. The Big East foes split their two meetings this season but it’s the Bluejays laying 10-points in this matchup.
Check out our best free Butler vs. Creighton picks and predictions for NCAA hoops action on Thursday, March 11, with tipoff at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Butler vs Creighton odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonCreighton went up this morning as an 11-point favorite at PointsBet USA, quickly dipped to -10, then moved up to -10.5, where the line rests at 2:30 p.m. ET. “Fifty-three percent of spread bets and 74 percent of spread handle on Creighton,” PointsBet’s Wyatt Yearout said. The total inched up from 135.5 to 136, though betting splits heavily favor the Over, at 92 percent of tickets/93 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameButler Bulldogs vs Creighton Bluejays betting preview
Injuries
Butler: Bo Hodges G (Probable), Bryce Nze F (Probable), Aaron Thompson G (Out), Jakobe Coles F (Out).
Creighton: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Butler is 10-2 ATS when revenging a double-digit road loss over the last two seasons. Find more NCAA betting trends for Butler vs. Creighton.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Creighton didn’t appear to let McDermott’s thoughtless and uncaring words affect its play, closing the regular season with a 93-73 thumping of Butler. The Bluejays finished conference play with a 14-6 record, good for the second seed in the Big East Tournament.
Creighton is a solid team at both ends of the court, ranking 12th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and 49th in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Bluejays’ offense is balanced, with five players averaging double-digit points this season for the best shooting team in the Big East, as they led the conference in both field goal and 3-point percentage.
But while Creighton easily won and covered a 12.5-point spread against Butler just last Saturday, don’t overlook these scrappy Bulldogs. Butler advanced to the Big East Quarterfinals with a 70-69 overtime victory as 6-point underdogs against Xavier.
The win was Butler’s third outright win in its last four games as an underdog of six points or more, which includes a win over Villanova. The Bulldogs also upset the Bluejays 70-66 as 7-point dogs back on Jan. 16. How do the ‘Dogs do it? Defense. Butler ranks 59th in adjusted defensive efficiency and third in the Big East in scoring defense.
Plus, in Butler’s last three wins, they have allowed opponents to shoot just 40.5 percent from the floor. As we said, these Bulldogs are scrappy and we are getting enough points to back them once again.
PREDICTION: Butler +10 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
Butler and Creighton obliterated the 134.5 total on Saturday, going Over by 31.5 points, but that may actually work in our favor. For this matchup we get a total of 135.5 and we’re leaning the other way in this one.
For starters, the first meeting between the Bulldogs and Bluejays saw a total of just 124 points prior to overtime. And, despite the 93 points scored by Creighton on Saturday, Butler has allowed an averaged of just 65.8 points over their last five games.
On top of that, Creighton isn’t too shabby on defense in its own right, ranking 49th in adjusted defensive efficiency and having led the Big East in opponent field goal percentage. We’re betting this one stays Under the number.
PREDICTION: Under 135.5 (-110)
Butler vs Creighton betting card
- Butler +10 (-110)
- Under 135.5 (-110)
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