The Marquette Golden Eagles and Creighton Bluejays rang in the New Year with a bang the last time they met, with Creighton edging Marquette in overtime on January 1. Now, the Golden Eagles look to return serve on the road Sunday afternoon.
Creighton is a slim NCAA basketball betting favorite for this Big East battle, riding a four-game winning streak into the weekend.
Marquette, on the other hand, snapped a two-game skid with a home win over Georgetown on Wednesday but hits the highway again as part of a daunting February schedule.
Here are our free college basketball picks and predictions for Marquette at Creighton on February 20.
Marquette vs Creighton odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Creighton opened as low as -1.5 overnight and jumped to -2 with early play on the home side. The total hit the board at 141.5 points and sunk to 139.5 before climbing back up to the opener at some books.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Marquette vs Creighton predictions
Predictions made on 2/20/2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Marquette vs Creighton game info
• Location: CHI Health Center, Omaha, NB
• Date: Sunday, February 20, 2022
• Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
Marquette at Creighton betting preview
Injuries
Marquette: No injuries to report.
Creighton: Arthur Kaluma F (Questionable), Shereef Mitchell G (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings between Marquette and Creighton. Find more NCAA betting trends for Marquette vs. Creighton.
Marquette vs Creighton picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
Creighton is perched atop the NCAA Tournament bubble with just five games remaining on the Big East slate, so home stands like Sunday’s with Marquette are must-win matchups. The Bluejays have momentum on their side, having won four in a row, but those victories came over teams at the bottom of the conference table.
Marquette is a step up in competition for Creighton but faces challenges of its own. The Golden Eagles are playing their third road game in the past four outings since February 8 and have struggled to contain host teams on defense.
They’re 3-4 SU as a visitor in conference play – having lost three straight on the road – while allowing home sides to average more than 71 points per game.
Creighton made the most of that soft schedule and has peaked offensively the past three games, posting point totals of 71, 80, and 88 points. The Bluejays’ efficiency rating has spiked to 1.085 in that span compared to 0.968 on the season and 0.847 in the three games prior to February 12.
Marquette and Shaka Smart’s “havoc” defense is a different beast, however. The Golden Eagles have watched their defensive metrics slip in recent games but are still 41st in defensive efficiency at KenPom.com and a far cry from DePaul, Georgetown and Butler (the Bluejays' last three foes) in terms of stinginess.
As for the MU offense, it’s pushing the pace on the Bluejays with one of the fastest tempos in college hoops (seventh) and forcing Creighton to speed up on both ends of the floor, which isn’t good for a team coughing the ball up 14.5 times per game (310th).
In the last matchup with Creighton on January 1, Marquette put forth one of its worst offensive showings of the season, shooting just 38% from the field including a 5-for-19 finish from beyond the arc – not great for a team sitting 62nd in effective field goal percentage (52.6%).
And despite that off day, MU had chances to win in regulation before bucking in overtime.
We’re not buying into the Bluejays’ momentum and instead, taking the points with Marquette in a revenge spot. The Golden Eagles make the most of those extra tallies, going 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as underdogs.
Prediction: Marquette +1.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
We alluded to the contrast in tempo for these teams and expect the pace of the Golden Eagles to up the speed of play on both ends of the court.
The closing total for their January 1 meeting was 146.5 points and books opened with an Over/Under of 141.5 for Sunday, which has dipped to 139.5 with early play on the Under.
Marquette is a much better offense than it showed in the last matchup with the Bluejays – scoring only 69 points despite the added frame. The Golden Eagles have posted fewer than 70 points only twice in the 12 outings since New Year’s Day and will be able to generate some easy buckets off turnovers today.
Creighton turned the ball over 16 times in that past matchup with Smart’s defense and did the same with Georgetown on Valentine’s Day, resulting in an 88-77 track meet that shattered the 142.5-point total. Easy buckets in transition will get the Marquette offense rolling.
As for Creighton, the Bluejays youngsters are turning a corner as we head down the home stretch, with freshman guard Ryan Nembhard and sophomore 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner stepping up.
Nembhard scored 19 and Kalkbrenner added 12 points and 13 boards in the road win at DePaul on Thursday, which was especially significant since starting forward Arthur Kaluma sat out again with a knee injury.
Prediction: Over 141 (-110)
Best bet
In their first meeting, Marquette standout Justin Lewis suffered through a poor shooting day, making only 4 of 18 from the floor and amassing nine points.
The freshman forward didn’t let that bad day slow him down, with six 20 points-plus performances since, including a 27-point showing in the loss to Butler last Saturday.
Creighton runs the risk of once again being without fellow freshman Arthur Kaluma, who would have been Lewis’ main defender. The Bluejays have been shorthanded for most of the month, going just two deep into the bench versus DePaul.
The Golden Eagles’ pace will test that depth and if Lewis can get going and attack the rim, Creighton may find itself in foul trouble with a short bench. Lewis didn’t get to the foul line once on Jan. 1 but has been at his best when drawing whistles.
Pick: Marquette +1.5 (-110)
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