A pair of top 15 teams meet up when the #14 Creighton Blue Jays (17-6, 13-5 Big East) take on the #10 Villanova Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 Big East) Wednesday night in a battle of the top two teams in the Big East. Creighton dispersed of the Wildcats last month in a 86-70 victory at home. Wednesday night’s contest tips off at 8:30 p.m. EST inside Finneran Pavillon in Villanova, PA. Villanova is a 4-point favorite over the Blue Jays, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – Creighton Blue Jays
Creighton’s four-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday when the Blue Jays fell to unranked Xavier on the road, 77-69. A win Wednesday night would vault Creighton ahead of Villanova in the Big East standings with a home-date versus Butler remaining on the schedule.
The Blue Jays average 78.6 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the floor and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Defensively, Creighton surrenders 68.8 points per game and holds opponents to 40.5% shooting from the floor and 32.8% from three.
Forward Damien Jefferson led the Blue Jays in scoring in Saturday’s loss, pouring in 19 points while shooting 7-of-12 from the field. The Blue Jays held Xavier to only 33.3% (7-for-21) from the three-point line but allowed 54.2% (32-of-59) from inside the arc. Creighton’s reserves were non-existent, providing just nine points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Creighton is 10-13 against the spread this season with a 4-8 record ATS against Villanova in their last 12 matchups. The Blue Jays are 7-11 ATS in conference contests and 4-6 on the road.
What to Know – Villanova Wildcats
Villanova dropped their third road contest of the season in Sunday’s 73-61 defeat at Butler. With a victory, the Wildcats would clinch the Big East regular-season title. The Wildcats finalize their regular season with a road contest at Providence on Saturday.
Offensively, Villanova scores 77.2 points per game, behind 45.4% shooting from the floor and 36.1% shooting from the three-point line. Villanova’s defense allows 67.9 points per game on 45.5% shooting from the field and 36.0% shooting three.
Villanova went cold from beyond the arc in Sunday’s loss, hitting only 2-of-27 attempts from three. The Wildcats got a team-high 16 points and 16 rebounds from forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Butler shot 50% (27-of-54) from the floor against the Wildcats’ defense.
The Wildcats are 11-8 ATS and 5-5 over their last ten games. Villanova is 8-5 ATS in Big East play and 5-2 on their home floor.
The Pick is In
Creighton took care of business against the Wildcats when the two teams met last month, shooting a sizzling 59.3% (32-of-54) from the floor and outrebounding the visitors, 28-18. The Blue Jays have looked good on the road, with a 7-3 mark in games played away from CHI Health Center. Villanova will need to pick up the defensive intensity and shoot much better from deep if they want to try and even the series against the Blue Jays. This game has huge implications on the Big East regular-season title and should be a close matchup throughout.
The Pick: Creighton Blue Jays +4.0 points
