The Creighton Bluejays cruised past Ohio in the second round of the NCAA Tournament but now face their biggest challenge yet, as they tangle with the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16.
The Zags are the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and oddsmakers are expecting another easy victory from them, as college basketball betting lines opened with Gonzaga as a 13-point favorite.
We bring you our free March Madness picks and predictions for Creighton vs. Gonzaga on Sunday, March 28.
Creighton vs Gonzaga odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonGonzaga landed on PointsBet USA's odds board as 13.5-point chalk late Monday night and made a couple of trips to -13, where the line rests at noon ET Sunday. "Sixty-three percent of spread bet count and 68 percent of spread handle on Gonzaga," PointsBet's Mike Korn said. The total went from 158 to 157.5, then up to 159, with 59 percent of bets/67 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this game
Creighton Bluejays vs Gonzaga Bulldogs betting preview
Injuries
Creighton: Modestas Kancleris F (Out), Rati Andronikashvili G (Out).
Gonzaga: None.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Creighton is 0-6 ATS in its last 6 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog. Find more NCAA betting trends for Creighton vs. Gonzaga.
Picks made on March 23
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Gonzaga Bulldogs sit atop the March Madness odds board as the National Championship favorites. The Zags are a perfect 28-0 SU this season and have steamrolled opponents with an average scoring margin of plus-23.7 points per game.
Gonzaga has continued its dominance in the NCAA Tournament, destroying Norfolk State by 43 points in the opening round before beating Oklahoma by a score of 87-71 in the Round of 32. The Zags are best known for their offensive prowess and while they are the top team in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, they also rank eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Creighton Bluejays ended Ohio's Cinderella run with a comfortable 72-58 win on Monday, but that didn't erase the memories of their last-second win over No. 12 seed UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the tourney. The Bluejays scored just 63 points in that contest and despite having a very efficient offense for the first half of the season, have really cooled off lately.
Creighton is shooting just 43.9 percent from the field over its last eight games. That's not going to cut it against a Gonzaga squad that leads the country with a field goal percentage of 55.1 while running up and down the floor. The Bluejays are solid on the defensive end of the floor but they don't have the pieces to slow down the Zags, while on offense they don't have the firepower to keep up. Take Gonzaga to win and cover.
PREDICTION: Gonzaga -13 (-110)
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Over/Under Pick
The Bluejays have been cashing Unders lately but there's nothing like a game against Gonzaga to make them feel like they're running suicides. The Bulldogs are fourth in the country in adjusted tempo and have the ability to dictate the pace in a game, often sucking teams into their fast-paced style—especially after they build up an early lead.
Despite Creighton's recent shooting problems, this is still a team that averages 78.4 points per game on 48.2 percent shooting. All five of Creighton's starters average double digits, so they do have offensive talent...just nowhere near as much as Gonzaga.
The Zags have been one of the best offensive teams in recent history, leading the country with 92.9 ppg—a whopping 7.2 ppg more than second-place Colgate. They have a pair of All-Americans in Corey Kispert (19.3 ppg on 54.8 percent shooting), and Drew Timme (18.4 ppg with a 65.1 FG percentage), but all of their starters can move the ball, attack the basket and shoot.
With such a high-scoring offense it should be little surprise that Gonzaga has been crushing Overs, going 24-9 O/U in their last 33 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Even with the total set at a huge number, we're taking the Over.
PREDICTION: Over 158.5 (-110)
First-half pick
I've been reluctant to bet the Zags on the full game spread this season with how high some of their lines have gotten, but their first-half lines have been easier to swallow. The Zags are 7-3 ATS in the first half of their last 10 games and boast an average first-half scoring margin of plus-14.3 ppg.
With Gonzaga leading the country in first-half scoring with 45.7 ppg, and Creighton just 145th in first-half scoring defense, take the Zags on the first-half spread.
PREDICTION: First Half Gonzaga -7.5 (-110)
Creighton vs Gonzaga betting card
- Gonzaga -13 (-110)
- Over 158.5 (-110)
- First Half Gonzaga -7.5 (-110)
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Where can I bet on March Madness odds?
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