The No. 9 seed Creighton Bluejays (23-11) meet the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (29-6) Saturday in the second round of the Midwest Region. Tip from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Creighton vs. Kansas odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Creighton made it past eighth-seeded San Diego State in the first round, defeating the Aztecs 72-69 in overtime. The Bluejays have covered 4 straight games, 3 of which were in the Big East Tournament, and are 20-14 against the spread (ATS) on the season.
The bad news is that they’ll be without Big East Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury in late February. The starting guard averaged 11.3 points per game (PPG) and led the team in assists (4.4) and steals (1.3) per game. Senior F Ryan Hawkins is the Bluejays top scorer at 14.3 PPG.
As for the Jayhawks, they are coming in having won and covered in 5 straight games, 3 of which included their quest for the Big 12 Tournament title.
Kansas defeated Texas Southern 83-56 in the opening round of the NCAA tourney Thursday, covering as a 21.5-point favorites. Senior G Ochai Agbaji leads the Jayhawks in scoring with19.8 PPG. Kansas is ranked No. 3 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Creighton vs. Kansas odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:37 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Creighton +520 (bet $100 to win $520) | Kansas -800 (bet $800 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Creighton +11.5 (-107) | Kansas -11.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
[tipico]
Creighton vs. Kansas odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kansas 74, Creighton 62
Money line
PASS.
A second-round -800 money line is asking for trouble and not even worth it in a parlay. I like Kansas to win, making Creighton’s +520 ML also not a good value.
Against the spread
LEAN to KANSAS -11.5 (-115).
The Jayhawks are just the superior side.
With G Remy Martin healthy and having a major impact, scoring a team-high 15 points off the bench in their first-round victory, the Jayhawks should have the most versatile offense in the nation.
Kansas is one of just seven teams that have a KenPom adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency both inside the top 25 in the nation. KU also ranks 115th in their luck factor.
As for Creighton, it’s an extremely poor 3-point shooting team, ranking 310th in its percentage from deep (31.0%), and it also has a top-20 luck rating.
It has a competent defense, but its struggle is going to be on the other end of the court where Kansas should be able to use its quickness to force turnovers and inevitably pull ahead.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 138.5 (-107).
This is also a fade on Creighton as its offense has stalled multiple times this season. In its last 10 regular-season games, the Bluejays scored 55 points or fewer three times.
That’s just not going to cut it, and speeding up the pace isn’t in their wheelhouse, ranking just 185th in adjusted tempo. Even Kansas sits outside the top 50 in tempo.
Creighton is 12-21-1 O/U this season, while Kansas is 19-16 O/U but just 2-5 O/U over its last seven games.
It won’t be the popular play, but UNDER 138.5 (-107) is the better side of the total here.
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