Creighton vs Marquette Basketball Prediction & Picks: Will the Golden Eagles Soar Past the Bluejays?

There are many ranked versus ranked college basketball matchups to look forward to in the upcoming year, but the final one on the 2023 calendar sees #22 Creighton visit #10 Marquette in a big-time Big East battle this afternoon (2:00 pm ET, CBS).

The Bluejays (9-3, 0-1 Big East) were in the top ten themselves earlier this month, but a loss to UNLV in Henderson, Nevada and a home loss to Villanova in their Big East opener caused a tumble down the rankings.

A slide all the way out of the rankings could take place if Creighton fails to find a way to win at Fiserv Forum, where the Golden Eagles (10-3, 1-1 Big East) are a perfect 7-0 this season, have won 18 straight since a loss to Wisconsin in December of last year, and are 36-4 under Shaka Smart.

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That includes a 30-point win over Georgetown eight days ago in their most recent action on the court. The blowout of the Hoyas was a strong response to the 15-point loss at Providence that Marquette suffered to open Big East play.

A much more arduous matchup is on the agenda for today, but Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek, and the Golden Eagles are favored to take care of business at home for good reason.

Creighton vs Marquette Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our BetOnline review.

Spread

• Creighton +4 (-108)
• Marquette -4 (-112)

Over/Under

• Over 151.5 (-105)
• Under 151.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• Creighton +160
• Marquette -180

Last Five Games for Creighton

• vs Villanova (12/20): lost 68-66
• vs Alabama (12/16): won 85-82
• (Henderson, NV – Jack Jones Classic) vs UNLV (12/13): lost 79-64
• vs Central Michigan (12/9): won 109-64
• at Nebraska (12/3): won 89-60

Last Five Games for Marquette

• vs Georgetown (12/22): won 81-51
• at Providence (12/19): lost 72-57
• vs St. Thomas (12/14): won 84-79
• vs Notre Dame (12/9): won 78-59
• vs Texas (12/6): won 86-65

Players to Watch for Creighton

• Baylor Scheierman: 18.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.4 APG
• Ryan Kalkbrenner: 15.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 65.8% FG
• Trey Alexander: 15.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 4.3 APG

Players to Watch for Marquette

• Tyler Kolek: 15.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 54.1% FG, 43.5% 3PT, 91.7% FT
• Kam Jones: 14.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.3 APG
• Oso Ighodaro: 13.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 65.7% FG

Creighton vs Marquette Prediction and Picks

If both teams play up to their full potential, this could be one of the best games of the season.

However, consistency on the offensive end is proving to be an issue for both Creighton and Marquette, even though the Bluejays rank 17th in adjusted offensive efficiency and the Golden Eagles rank 24th in that metric.

Creighton’s last four games sum things up quite well. In the wins over Central Michigan and Alabama, the Bluejays shot 65.1% (48.4% from three) and 55.8%, respectively. But in the losses to UNLV and Villanova, they shot 40.0% (27.6% from three) and 39.7% (20.8% from three), respectively.

Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth, who is 4 of 20 from three in his last four games, will find his shot soon enough, which will be a big boost for Creighton.

Similarly, Marquette needs David Joplin to put in more performances like he did against Georgetown (20 points, 6 of 11 FG, 4 of 7 3PT, 4 of 5 FT, nine rebounds) than what he had done in his previous eight games (6.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 36.5% FG).

One of those is more likely to occur today, and it’s not the former, based on how well Marquette has performed at home this season and overall under Shaka Smart.

But even if it does, I still like the home team to get it done. One of the Golden Eagles’ four home losses under Smart came to Creighton two seasons ago, but I don’t see the Bluejays repeating the feat this afternoon.

Prediction: Marquette to win

Picks: Marquette -4 & Creighton/Marquette over 151.5 (Both lines at BetOnline – Bet these plays and get a 100% BONUS on your first cryptocurrency deposit)

Bonus Prop Pick: Kam Jones over 2.5 made threes (+110 at Bovada – Bet these lines and get a 75% WELCOME BONUS if your first deposit is via crypto)

Marquette could also do with Jones being a little more on target than he has been recently. Since making five threes in the Golden Eagles’ win over Texas, he is 5 of 21 (23.8%) from three in four games, and he is shooting only 30.8% (12 of 39) from the field in his last three games. But he has a good history of bouncing back well after poor performances, and I love the value here for Jones to nail at least three triples after mustering just eight points (3 of 14 FG, 1 of 7 3PT) against Georgetown.

Where to Bet on College Basketball

If you are looking for college basketball odds, you will always be spoiled for choice.

Sports betting sites all over the internet offer a vast array of NCAA basketball odds throughout the season, from the opening tip in November to the conclusion of the season in early April.

Along with being able to bet on games like Nevada vs Hawaii, many online sportsbooks offer men’s college basketball national championship odds, women’s college basketball national championship odds, men’s Wooden Award odds, women’s Wooden Award odds, and odds on who will win early season and conference tournaments.

Below are some of the books that we highly recommend for college basketball betting:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Other College Basketball Content

• NCAA Basketball Best Spread & Total Bets for 12/30
• College Basketball Betting Guide
• Men’s Wooden Award Winner Odds
• Women’s Wooden Award Winner Odds