Creighton vs UNLV Odds, Picks and Predictions: Rebels Run to Keep Up with Bluejays

The No. 8 Creighton Blue Jays look to add yet another win to their resume as they hit the road to face the struggling UNLV Rebels in the Jack Jones Classic.

It’s technically a neutral-site game even though it’s in UNLV’s backyard in Henderson, Nevada. Taking a glance at college basketball odds, the Bluejays are -13.5 while the total is set at 152.5.

Creighton heads to the desert with an arsenal of shooting options spearheading an elite offense that forecasts for a successful outing against this porous UNLV defense. 

I take a closer look at the Bluejays’ team total with my best bet for this contest and provide my free college basketball picks and predictions for the Creighton Bluejays vs. the UNLV Rebels on Wednesday, December 13.

Creighton vs UNLV best odds

Creighton vs UNLV picks and predictions

Greg McDermott’s Creighton Bluejays have earned their ranking within the Top 10 thanks to a strong start to the year at 8-1. 

The Bluejays haven’t just been winning games — they’ve also been winning tickets for supporting bettors. The Bluejays have been a covering machine at 7-2 ATS. They’re also an analytics darling, checking in at sixth overall in KenPom including Top-12 marks on both ends of the court (eight in adjusted defensive efficiency, 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency). 

Baylor Scheierman has excelled in a larger role this season, leading the team in scoring (18.6) and rebounding (7.3) while coming in second in assists (4). He’s joined in the backcourt by another do-it-all guard in Trey Alexander, who is second in both scoring (15.9) and rebounding (6.4) while leading the team in assists (4.9). 

Big man Ryan Kalkbrenner rounds out one of the top trios in college basketball. He’s averaging 15.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and is one of the sport’s premier seven-footers. 

On the other side of things, it’s been a disappointing start for Kevin Kruger’s squad. The UNLV Rebels won 19 games last year for just the second time in the past decade and entered the year with aspirations of taking another step forward to push for an NCAA Tournament bid. 

So far, things haven’t gone to plan. A 14-point loss to Southern in the opener was an ominous start, and they’ve since gone 3-3, with their only wins to a Top-100 team coming against Akron. The Rebels are decent on the offensive side of things (74th in adjusted efficiency) but have been putrid on defense (219th). 

The Rebels have struggled to defend the 3-point line, allowing opponents to cash in at a ridiculous 40.9% from downtown — “good” for 359th nationally. Per Haslametrics, they rank just 330th in 3-point field goal percentage allowed against an average opponent.

That’s very, very concerning here against a Creighton team that is much greater than your average opponent — especially from behind the arc. The Bluejays have been bombs away in every contest, leading the nation in made threes per game (12.6) while converting at 40.2%. They’ve been remarkably efficient on high volume (31.2 3-point attempts per game) and now face a Swiss cheese defense that should leave plenty of openings. 

Creighton’s team total is set at 83.5 across most locations. The Bluejays have surpassed 80 points in seven out of nine games this season — both times against defenses (Oklahoma State, Colorado State) that are on a different level than UNLV’s. The Rebels haven’t faced a single offense ranked inside the Top 75 yet have still surrendered at least 78 points in half of their games. The Bluejays therefore should have every opportunity to eclipse 80 points and approach this number. 

For the above reasons, I expect a strong showing from Creighton’s offense in Sin City.

My best bet: Creighton team total Over 83.5 (-120 at bet365)

Creighton vs UNLV same-game parlay

Creighton team total Over 83.5 

Trey Alexander 15+ points

Creighton -13.5 

+250 at DraftKings

Here’s a three-leg SGP centered around Creighton finding plenty of offensive success. In addition to my best bet on the team total, I’ll add one player prop Over and the Bluejays against the spread.

Trey Alexander is averaging nearly 16 ppg (15.9) while tying for the team lead with a 26.8% usage rate. He’s a high-volume player for one of the nation’s most efficient offenses and gets a great matchup against a UNLV defense that sometimes forgets where it is or what its purpose is at any given moment. Alexander has already scored 20 or more points five separate times this season but we only need him to reach 15 points on Wednesday night to keep this SGP alive. 

Lastly, I’ll add Creighton at -13.5 as this game is a mismatch on paper. Games obviously aren’t played on paper, but the Bluejays have won both of their true away games this season by at least 14 points — and that was against tougher competition (Oklahoma State, Nebraska).

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Creighton vs UNLV spread and Over/Under analysis

This line opened at Creighton -14.5 but has since come in a point. The total has seen some upward movement since opening at 148, currently residing at 152.5.

My preferred way of attacking these numbers is to take Creighton minus the points. UNLV simply hasn’t been very good this season. The roster misses Elijah Harkless and his 19.1 ppg from a season ago — Kruger’s squad hasn’t found a go-to scorer and is awful defensively, making for a worrisome recipe. 

Creighton has suffered one defeat this season — a blowout 21-point loss to Colorado State. While it’s tough to find an excuse for such a lopsided loss, the Rams are a Top-30 team in KenPom (27th) and suffered their first defeat less than a week ago. All in all, not as bad of a loss as it may appear at first while still being a bad showing from the Bluejays. 

Other than that game, however, Creighton has been locked in and appears to be a team with genuine aspirations by the time the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Its eight wins have come by an average margin of 28.9 points — these aren’t just wins, they’re statements. 

As for the total, I naturally have a slight lean with the Over considering I’m on Creighton’s team total. It’s more difficult to trust UNLV’s offense against a Top-10 Creighton defense, but the Rebels have been solid on offense in home games. They’ve scored at least 70 points in all four home games while averaging 72.25 ppg. While this is technically a neutral-site game, the proximity to UNLV’s campus should make this more closely resemble a Rebels home game than anything else.  

Creighton vs UNLV betting trend to know

Creighton has scored more than 83.5 points in six of nine games this season. Find more college basketball betting trends for Creighton vs. UNLV.

Creighton vs UNLV game info

Creighton vs UNLV key injuries

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