Creighton heads to Villanova for a Big East showdown on Wednesday.
Villanova leads the all time series 12-3, and has won 9 of the last 10 matchups head to head.
Creighton is coming off a 76-54 win over Xavier at home on Sunday. Last Friday (1/25) they beat Butler 75-61, and last Wednesday (1/30) they lost to St. Johns 83-67 at home.
Villanova is coming off a 77-65 win over Georgetown at home on Sunday. Last Sunday (1/27) they beat Seton Hall 80-52, and last Wednesday (1/30) they beat DePaul 86-74.
On the season, Creighton is 11-11 ATS, 2-4 ATS on the road, and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games. On the season, Villanova is 15-7 ATS, 7-5 ATS at home, and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
BetOnline have Villanova as 9 point favourites with an O/U total of 152.
Villanova averages 76.8 PPG, 35.7 RPG, 14.3 APG, 2.9 BPG, 5.6 SPG, and 11.5 TPG. As a team they shoot 45.8% from the field, 72.4% from the free throw line, and 36.7% from 3 point range. Defensively they hold teams to 66.9 PPG, 32.1 RPG, 43.3% shooting from the field, and 34.0% shooting from 3.
They are led by Phil Booth who averages 18.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 0.8 SPG while shooting 45.5% from the field, 74.8% from the free throw line, and 41.0% from 3 point range. Eric Paschall contributes 17.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 0.9 SPG while shooting 46.0/76.3/36.6. Collin Gillespie chips in 12.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 41.6% shooting from 3. Saadiq Bey (7.8 PPG/5.0 RPG/0.7 SPG), Damir Cosby-Roundtree (5.6 PPG/6.6 RPG/0.8 SPG/1.0 BPG/68.6% from the field), Joe Cremo (5.1 PPG/1.7 RPG/38.2% from 3), and Jermaine Samuels (5.0 PPG/4.7 RPG/0.8 BPG) round out their rotation.
Key Inactives
F Cole Swider (hand) – out
Creighton averages 82.4 PPG, 33.6 RPG, 16.8 APG, 2.4 BPG, 6.0 SPG, and 13.5 TPG. As a team they shoot 50.4% from the field, 68.1% from the free throw line, and 41.8% from 3 point range. Defensively they hold teams to 76.4 PPG, 33.2 RPG, 47.1% shooting from the field, and 37.0% shooting from 3 point range.
They are led by Ty-Shon Alexander, who averages 17.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 0.8 SPG while shooting 43.8% from the field, 76.1% from the free throw line, and 39.8% from 3. Martin Krampelj puts up 12.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.7 BPG while shooting 60.0/63.2/31.3. Marcus Zegarowski chips in 10.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 46.2% shooting from 3. Mitch Ballock (10.7 PPG/4.1 RPG/3.6 APG/46% from 3), Davion Mintz (9.9 PPG/3.1 RPG/2.8 APG), Samson Froling (4.5 PPG/2.3 RPG/59.7% from the field), and Kaleb Joseph (4.0 PPG/1.3 RPG/48.3% from 3) play big minutes as well.
Key Inactives
C Jacob Epperson (knee) – out
F Damien Jefferson (ankle) – out
Creighton has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, but their defense is borderline terrible. They have had nice showings lately against Butler and Xavier, but those were more anomalies than the norm this season. Their body of work on the road is not promising either, with double digit losses to St. John’s and Butler in the past couple weeks. They also lost by 12 to this same Villanova team at home earlier this season.
Villanova is well rounded on both sides of the floor, and if it turns into an offensive show, they have the firepower in Booth, Paschall, and Gillespie to keep pace. Villanova is rounding into tournament form, having won 10 straight games dating back to December, with 8 of those 10 wins coming by double digits. With a big matchup at Marquette looming this weekend, expect Villanova to get primed by winning big in whatever way necessary, whether it be a shootout or defensive slog.
Final Pick: Villanova Wildcats (-9)
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