Creighton vs Xavier 1/29/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Xavier Musketeers (14-5) vs. Creighton Bluejays (12-6)
January 29, 2022 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Creighton Bluejays +1 ; Over/Under: 138.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Xavier Musketeers and the Creighton Bluejays meet Saturday in college basketball action from CenturyLink Center Omaha. Xavier is 14-5 so far this year. The Musketeers lost to Providence in their last game. As for Creighton, they’re sitting at 12-6 and coming off a loss to Butler. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Xavier went a nice 11-1 over their first dozen this year, losing to only Iowa State. Since then the Musketeers have faltered on a 3-4 run. The losses in that time have been to Villanova (twice), Marquette and Providence.
In the Providence matchup on Wednesday, Xavier was down 35-29 at halftime. The Musketeers looked better after halftime but couldn’t catch up in a 65-62 loss. Leading the way was Paul Scruggs with 16 points, and Jack Nunge added 15 points with nine boards.
Over on the Creighton side, they hit a 10-3 run out of the gate this year with losses to Colorado State, Iowa State and Arizona State. The Bluejays have gone 2-3 over their last five with losses to Villanova, Xavier and Butler in that stretch.
Creighton had a rough time against Butler in their last game. The Bluejays were within three points at the break, but after a 45-31 second-half deficit they ended up falling 72-55. Arthur Kaluma was tops on the team with 18 points and three rebounds.
The Bluejays are 5-2 ATS in their last seven overall and 4-0 ATS in their last four Saturday games. The under is 4-1-1 in Creighton’s last six overall.
Meanwhile, the Musketeers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games and 0-5 ATS in their last five overall. The under is 4-1 in Xavier’s last five overall.
PICK: I’m going to try Xavier here, but probably staying away. Neither one of these teams has looked great lately. In any case, the last time Xavier and Creighton met up on January 15, Xavier secured an 80-73 win. The Musketeers shot 43.1 percent to Creighton’s 50 percent and were out-rebounded 36-35. Creighton’s 21 turnovers (to Xavier’s nine) were a key factor in the loss, though.
This one’s likely to be another tight battle and it really could go either way. I like the Musketeers to get off to a good start and cover/win, but it’s probably too close to mess with.
