The No. 10 Creighton Bluejays and the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks face off in the Maui Invitational semifinals on Tuesday night.
This should be an intriguing matchup between a pair of Top-10 teams that cruised to victory on the opening night of the tournament yesterday.
Oddsmakers are expecting a close battle with college basketball odds opening with the Razorbacks as slim 2-point favorites before jumping the fence to favor the Bluejays at -1.5. Read my best college basketball picks and predictions for Creighton vs. Arkansas below.
Creighton vs Arkansas best odds
Creighton vs Arkansas picks and predictions
These teams are neck-and-neck in the latest AP Poll but while the Arkansas Razorbacks are still finding chemistry with a bunch of new faces, the Bluejays rotation gelled last season when they advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney before losing a close contest to the eventual national champions Kansas.
That performance against the Jayhawks was all the more impressive when you consider that Creighton was missing injured point guard Ryan Nembhard and leading scorer Ryan Kalkbrenner — who are back and cooking this season.
Creighton's biggest weakness has been its ability to defend shots from beyond the arc but Arkansas doesn't have the perimeter shooting to take advantage of that. Meanwhile, the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner does an excellent job of protecting the rim and along with 6-10 freshman Fredrick King, should be able to neutralize the Razorbacks' size and ability to attack the hoop.
Sure the Razorbacks clobbered winless Louisville last night but I was more impressed with the way Creighton pulled away from a strong Texas Tech team in the second half.
The Bluejays do a great job of limiting turnovers and fouls, which could be the deciding factor in what should be a close game.
My best bet: Creighton -1.5 (-110 at bet365)
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Creighton vs Arkansas spread analysis
Money has been steadily coming in on the Bluejays, who now sit as slim faves after opening as short dogs. Some books have seen a 3.5-point swing in just a few hours which is a big deal between a pair of programs so closely ranked.
The Razorbacks destroyed Louisville 80-54 last night. Arkansas forced 22 turnovers in the contest and held the Cardinals off the scoreboard for the first five minutes. On the other end of the floor, they shot a sizzling 72.4% from 2-point range, with many of those buckets coming inside the paint.
The Razorbacks' new-look squad will eventually be scary for opposing teams since we still haven't seen the college debut of freshman guard Nick Smith, who was the No. 2 recruit in the country according to Rivals.
Smith has been sidelined with a knee injury but two other five-star freshmen in Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black have seen extensive playing time. Walsh is still finding his footing but Black broke out with 26 points and six assists last night.
Guard Davonte Davis is Eric Musselman's only returning rotation player from last season with five transfers and the trio of incoming freshmen expected to take up the bulk of the minutes.
The Razorbacks are extremely athletic and long. The shortest player in the Arkansas starting lineup is the 6-foot-4 Davis and the first two players off the bench are 6-10 forwards Trevon Brazile and Makhel Mitchell.
The Bluejays beat Texas Tech 76-65 last night. While their typically efficient offense floundered in the first half, they clicked after the break and ended up finishing with a field goal percentage of 55.1%. An impressive performance vs. Red Raiders program that prides itself on stifling defense and had allowed just 52.3 ppg entering the contest.
The Bluejays have far more continuity in their lineup. Kalkbrenner and Nembhard are back along with another returning starter in Arthur Kaluma and last year's sixth-man Trey Alexander.
Add in transfer guard Baylor Scheierman — who was named Summit League Player of the Year last season with South Dakota State — and you have an experienced and well-rounded starting lineup that moves the ball and can score from all three levels.
Creighton vs Arkansas Over/Under analysis
Arkansas has scored at least 71 points in every game this season but won't be able to run the floor and dunk at ease in this one. The Razorbacks are third in opponent turnover rate, which has allowed them to jump out on the fast break and get easy buckets.
However, those opportunities won't come by as much against a well-coached Creighton squad that takes care of the ball with the 12th-lowest turnover rate in the nation.
The Bluejays are a well-oiled engine on offense but they're also pretty tough on the defensive end of the floor and play at a methodical pace, ranking just 244th in the country in adjusted tempo according to KenPom.
Although the Razorbacks are still finding chemistry on offense, their length and athleticism have paid immediate dividends on the other side of the court where they hold foes to 54 ppg on 34.8% shooting — the 12th-best number in the country.
Creighton vs Arkansas betting trend to know
The Under is 7-0 in the Razorbacks' last seven games. Find more College basketball betting trends for Creighton vs. Arkansas.
Creighton vs Arkansas game info
| Location: | Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, HI |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 22, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
