Creighton vs Marquette Odds, Picks and Predictions: Golden Eagles Tear Apart Bluejays

The Marquette Golden Eagles will look to open their Big East schedule with a win as they host the slumping Creighton Bluejays on Friday night.

After an undefeated start, Creighton has lost five straight to fall to 6-5 on the year. Marquette (8-3) comes in riding a two-game winning streak and has won five of its last six contests. 

The Golden Eagles have played well against some of the best teams in the country, outpacing the preseason expectations for the program. We’ll break down their chances of continuing that run in our college basketball betting picks and predictions for Creighton vs. Marquette on December 16.

Creighton vs Marquette best odds

Creighton vs Marquette picks and predictions

When the coaches of the Big East released their preseason rankings, the majority put Creighton at the top of the conference, while Marquette ranked ninth out of 11. But as the Big East season starts, it’s the Golden Eagles who are flying high while the Bluejays are mired in a long losing streak.

Creighton started the year playing to expectations, winning its first five games with relative ease. It then knocked off the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road to go to 6-0 before the wheels came off.

Tight road losses to the Arizona Wildcats and Texas Longhorns were understandable, but the Bluejays have proceeded to lose to three unranked teams since then — including two losses at the Jack Jones Hoopfest in Las Vegas.

Creighton has also been without one of its stars for the past two games, which has only exasperated its issues. Junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who leads the team with 15.9 points per game and was the Big East's DPOY last season, has missed two games with a non-COVID illness. Kalkbrenner is once again listed as questionable for Friday’s game.

If Kalkbrenner misses another game, it will put additional strain on a defense that is already struggling to contain opposing teams. Creighton allows opponents to shoot 44% from the floor and 35.3% from 3-point range, both marks that rank outside the Top 200 in the country.

Marquette is averaging 82.2 points per game, an impressive mark when you consider that it's played a number of the top teams in the country this year.

Preseason expectations aside, Marquette has been the better team this year, especially over the past few weeks. Creighton may well right the ship and make a run to the NCAA Tournament, but it’s hard to see a run starting tonight against the streaking Eagles. I’m taking the Golden Eagles and laying the points.

My best bet: Marquette -3 (-110 at DraftKings)

Creighton vs Marquette spread analysis

Marquette opened this game as a four-point favorite. Money came in on Creighton early, but while the line moved as low as -2.5 at some points, most books are now offering the Golden Eagles -3.5 or -3 as of noon on Friday.

Both teams have played reasonably well against the spread this season. The Bluejays are 6-5 ATS, while Marquette has a 6-4-1 ATS record on the year.

There’s no reason to expect a blowout in this one. While the Golden Eagles have been playing better than Creighton — especially at home — the two teams rate out fairly similarly overall.

Ken Pomeroy’s ratings actually have the Bluejays slightly ahead of Marquette, though when we adjust for home-court advantage and the likely absence of Kalkbrenner on Friday, this is clearly the Eagles' game to lose.

My biggest reason for liking Marquette tonight is the way it has played against quality opponents. Creighton has posted the more impressive blowouts of overmatched teams, but when it comes to their relative performance against Top 25 and major conference opponents, the Golden Eagles have been able to find wins and compete with even the best teams in the country. 

That gives me far more confidence in Marquette when it comes to tonight’s game. In a matchup between teams with similar talent, the Golden Eagles should be able to pull away and win at home against a Creighton squad that has lost five straight and hasn’t been able to put away teams like the BYU Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils — both of whom the Bluejays should be able to beat. Marquette -3 is the pick for tonight.

Creighton vs Marquette Over/Under analysis

The total on tonight’s game started at 154 points. There hasn’t been any significant movement, but most sites now have the Over/Under listed at 153.5. 

Both of these teams can score points. I’ve already talked about the Eagles' offense, but the Bluejays are also putting up 78 points a night and have also done so against quality competition. Neither of these teams have been shutting down opponents, either: Marquette ranks 180th in points allowed (68.5 ppg) while Creighton is 195th in the country (69.2 ppg).

The Golden Eagles have been playing to the Over lately, going 4-1 that way in their last five. The Jays haven’t put up any dramatic trends, hitting the Over in their last two games, but played to the Under in their previous three contests.

Creighton and Marquette have both played some high-scoring games this year when playing against better competition. The Bluejays hit a total of 177 against Arkansas, and the Eagles went well over 150 against both Wisconsin and Baylor. 

All of this gives me the sense that the Over is probably the better play tonight, but the data doesn’t really support this feeling — at least not enough to make me confident about it. With no obvious edge here, I’m laying off the total and focusing on Marquette as the play for this game.

Creighton vs Marquette betting trend to know

The Golden Eagles are 7-2 ATS in their last nine Friday games. Find more College basketball betting trends for Creighton vs. Marquette.

Creighton vs Marquette game info

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