The No. 5 seed Marquette Golden Eagles and No. 4 Creighton Bluejays will play their first game of the Big East Tournament this afternoon.
Neither team had to play in the first round and got an automatic bid into the quarterfinals of the tournament
In the regular season, the Bluejays defeated the Golden Eagles two times in extremely close games including an 83-82 win at home and a 75-69 double-overtime nailbiter on the road.
What do these two teams have in store for the quarterfinals? What team should college basketball bettors side with? Find out in our free college basketball picks and predictions for the Big East matchup between Marquette and Creighton.
Creighton vs Marquette odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
In a game between the fourth and fifth seed, oddsmakers believe we’ll have a close one with Marquette opening as a 3-point favorite. The total, on the other hand, has opened at 141.5 and is now starting to shift to 142.5 across the board.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Creighton vs Marquette predictions
Predictions made on 3/9/2022 at 11:08 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Creighton vs Marquette game info
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022
• Tip-off: 2:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Fox Sports 1
Creighton at Marquette betting preview
Injuries
Creighton: No injuries to report.
Marquette: Ryan Nembhard G (Out), Devin Davis G (Out), Shereef Mitchell G (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Marquette is 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following an ATS win. Find more NCAA betting trends for Creighton vs. Marquette.
Creighton vs Marquette picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
Although Creighton has captured wins in both contests between these teams this season, each game went down to the wire and could have gone either way.
That’s why I’ve got some confidence in Marquette. The Golden Eagles have the better offense analytically, shooting an effective field goal percentage of 52.7% on the season.
Marquette limits turnovers to 17.2% and is knocking down 34.8% of threes and 53.1% of twos this season. It doesn't get to the line at a consistent rate but still shoots 74.3% from the charity stripe. On the offensive glass, it also struggles, earning just 22.4% of offensive rebounds.
Meanwhile, Creighton has done a very solid job limiting foul shooting this season. The Bluejays have also locked in on defense, allowing teams to shoot just 32.7% from deep and 43.5% from inside the arc.
They aren’t earning a high rate of turnovers but ultimately should be able to hold Marquette off the offensive glass for most of this game.
On the flip side, Creighton is turning the ball over 20.6% of the time and rarely gets to the line themselves. The Bluejays shoot 31% from three but do have some success inside, shooting 53.7%. However, inside, the Golden Eagles are holding teams to 46% from the field and an even more impressive 31.5% on 3-point shots.
Marquette will need to put more emphasis on the defensive end when it comes to rebounding, however, it has done very well limiting good shots for opponents.
Expect the Golden Eagles to do enough this game to escape with the win and cover.
Prediction: Marquette -3 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Marquette is a very fast offense but teams often play with a slower pace when they have the ball against this team.
The Golden Eagles are using just 15.2 seconds per possession on the offensive end but teams are using 18.2 seconds per possession against them. It all kind of evens out at the end.
Creighton limits foul shots and also doesn't get to the line often itself. We also already discussed Marquette won’t earn second chances very much on the glass and its defense should force its opponent into taking tough shots.
Therefore, I’ll take the Under.
Prediction: Under 142.5 (-110)
Best bet
As they say, third time's the charm! Marquette is coached by Shaka Smart, and anytime he's coaching in a tournament, you’ve got a chance.
Ultimately, Marquette has had a great season and has won 19 games on the year with two wins over Villanova and an early win against Illinois.
When they are playing well, the Golden Eagles can beat anyone. You can expect them to be prepared against a Creighton team that won’t have its top guard in Ryan Nembhard.
Pick: Marquette -3 (-110)
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