Creighton vs Xavier Odds, Picks and Predictions: Scheierman Struggles to Solve Musketeers

Two teams currently holding down a First-Round bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament collide Saturday in Cincinnati, as the 19th-ranked Creighton Bluejays visit the Xavier Musketeers.

Both have identical 7-5 conference records, with Creighton in fourth and the Musketeers fifth, courtesy the Bluejays’ win over Xavier just over two weeks ago.

That’s been one of the few blips for Xavier of late, currently winners of three straight and six of eight. Their success, and Creighton having dropped two in a row, is part of the reason they’re slight one-point favorites in the college basketball odds.

Who gets a leg up Saturday afternoon at Cintas Center? I’ve got a free college basketball picks for Creighton vs. Xavier for Saturday, February 10.

Creighton vs Xavier best odds

Creighton vs Xavier picks and predictions

Senior forward Baylor Scheierman has done just about everything he can to help deliver a victory for the Creighton Bluejays, but to no avail.

Scheierman put up a season-best 27 points — including a 4-for-10 mark from downtown — to go along with 12 rebounds in a crushing 91-87 OT loss to Providence last time out. That was a game after producing his previous season-high of 26 points with 11 boards in a gut-wrenching 99-98 loss to Butler.

The third-leading scorer in the Big East, he now gets the Xavier Musketeers for the second time after dropping 20 points on them back on January 23 in an 85-78 win.

But history is not on his side tonight. This is the fourth time he’s gone back-to-back scoring 20+ this season, and in the previous three, he's failed to top the 18.5 points line he’s been given Saturday.

In the most recent example after going for 20 each against Seton Hall and Duke, he totaled only 16 against DePaul. He’s only averaging 14 points in those three games.

And while durability might seem like a weird mention with young players, Scheierman has logged some major minutes in recent Big East action.

In his last seven games, Scheierman has played the full 40 three times, and 39 another. Those are only topped by the full 45 he logged against Providence in overtime, and the entire 55 minutes he played in a triple OT win over Seton Hall.

Xavier might only rank inside the Top 200 in points allowed, but they’ve made their opponents earn their buckets, as their 41.4% field goal shooting defense is inside the Top 70 in college hoops.

I think Scheierman will still be effective, but he should slide under the total.

My best bet: Baylor Scheierman Under 18.5 points (-125 at DraftKings)

Creighton vs Xavier same-game parlay

Baylor Scheierman Under 18.5 points

Quincy Olivari Over 2.5 made 3s

Under 154

+550 at DraftKings

This game also features the Big East’s second-leading scorer, Quincy Olivari, and I like the Over on his 2.5 made 3s prop. The senior guard out of Atlanta currently sits second in the Big East and fourth in the nation in shooting from distance at a crisp 45% clip.

Last time out he went 3-for-8, part of a 14-point effort as Xavier slid by Villanova 56-53. That came after lighting it up against DePaul in the previous game, going 7-for-12 from 3-point range, finishing with 43 points and 10 boards in a 93-68 blowout.

That now makes it four straight games he’s hit at least three triples in a game, and six in his last seven outings.

Of course, the motivation should be there Saturday, as the lone team that has kept him in check from beyond the arc during this hot shooting spree were these same Bluejays, when he went just 1-for-4 from deep while scoring 15 points in the loss.

Look for him to find the range against Creighton this time around.

We’ll finish with the total, which stands at 154 points — not surprising when it features a Creighton team that’s second in the conference in scoring at 80.8 points per game. That’s a Top-40 scoring team in the country.

However, while the last game produced a total of 163 points, just one of the previous nine had a scoreline that topped this number.

It’s a figure that’s only been crossed at Xavier’s gym once in the last five games. Overall, the Over has struck just three times in the last 10, so I’ll stick with the percentages in this one.

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

Creighton vs Xavier spread and Over/Under analysis

Opening at a single point, the spread for this game has gone as high as 2.5 points, though most books have been keeping it at 1.5 points.

The Musketeers are a solid 14-8-0 against the spread this season, and they have covered in four of the last give games against Creighton. The Bluejays are just 10-13-0 ATS on the year.

Early Friday afternoon, you could have seen this Over/Under line at 149.5, but that number has been run off the court. Late Friday night, Caesars was offering a 155-point line, which is the high-water mark so far, with sites split all the way down to 152.5.

Using DraftKings’ 154-point line, this is the third-highest total set for Creighton vs Xavier in the last 10 games. The Musketeers have seen the Over go 13-9-0, while the Bluejays have hit the over in just 11 of 23 games on the year.

Creighton vs Xavier betting trend to know

Xavier has won five of the last seven head-to-head matchups, and four straight over Creighton at home. Find more college basketball betting trends for Creighton vs. Xavier.

Creighton vs Xavier game info

Creighton vs Xavier key injuries

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