Creighton Bluejays vs UConn Huskies Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/07/2023

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 7, 2023

Venue:  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, CT

Where to Watch:  Fox

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Creighton +8, UConn -8; Over/Under:  141.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Creighton +8, UConn -8; Over/Under:  141.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Creighton +8, UConn -8; Over/Under:  141.5 points

 

Creighton Bluejays:  9-6 (3-1) (4th place, Big East)

UConn Huskies:  14-2 (3-2) (5th place, Big East)

 

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jack Banks is on a HOT STREAK in CBB: 64-47 Run! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

Creighton Bluejays:  3-2  last 5

UConn Huskies:  3-2  last 5

 

Creighton is coming into this game with a 9-6 record overall and they are 0-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 3-1 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Butler Bulldogs, the DePaul Blue Demons, and the Seton Hall Pirates in their last game. Ryan Kalkbrenner led the team in points in that game with 17 while Trey Alexander was next on the team with 15 points. Trey Alexander led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Arthur Kaluma led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 50.9% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point range, and 82.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.5 PPG against them. Creighton has an ATS record of 8-7 this season and their O/U record is 7-7-1.

 

 

UConn is coming into this game with a 14-2 record overall and they are 9-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 3-2 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Xavier Musketeers and the Providence Friars in their last game. Jordan Hawkins led the team in points in that game with 15 while Donovan Clingan was next on the team with 12 points. Tristen Newton led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Donovan Clingan led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 36.5% from the field, 22.7% from 3-point range, and 52.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 61.5 PPG against them. UConn has an ATS record of 11-4-1 this season and their O/U record is 10-6.

The current betting odds have UConn listed as an 8 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UConn has been a very good team all year as they started the season with the best record getting to 14 wins while being undefeated, but they have started to cool off now losing their last 2 games in a row. Both losses came on the road and in conference games too so now that they are back at home they will be looking to bounce back in a big way as one of the best teams in the country right now. They are still undefeated through 9 home games this season while their opponent Creighton is 3-1 in conference games this year but 0-2 in their only 2 road games played. This is going to be one of the toughest games they have played all season being on the road against the 4th ranked team in the nation and even though they just won their last game by over 20 points, they have been struggling a lot in their games lately and are only 9-6 this season. UConn also has one of the best ATS records in the country as they are 11-4-1 and they will be looking to bounce back at home after 2 losses in a row. The best way to place a bet here is on UConn to cover the spread in this game.

 

Creighton UConn Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, January 7, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is UConn 82 Creighton 64.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Creighton Bluejays UConn Huskies prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

 

 

Creighton Bluejays: 19-8 ATS as an underdog. 36-18 ATS off 2 consecutive home wins by 10 points or more. 10-2 UNDER as a road underdog or pick. 

UConn Huskies: 4-14 ATS after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite. 3-10 ATS after a game committing 8 or less turnovers. 16-4 UNDER off 2 or more consecutive road losses.

 

 

Creighton Bluejays:  J. Christofilis (G) out for season - Redshirt. J. Green (F) out for season - Redshirt.

UConn Huskies:  S. Johnson (F) Mid Jan - Foot.

 

 

“His parents have been in town this week, and I told them that in the last two practices I’ve seen him getting there — he feels better, his conditioning is better, he’s catching his second wind better, he’s quicker off the floor. He was incredible at the rim tonight. Besides the six that he blocked, he changed at least another six or seven.” - Greg McDermott on Ryan Kalkbrenner and the illness he has been dealing with.

 

 

"It was an embarrassing loss. We pride ourselves on our culture and to beat us, we generally lose one-possession games when we lose. Now, this is back-to-back games where we've really, really caved in. So we've got a lot of work to do before we play a red-hot Creighton team on Saturday." - Dan Hurley after his team’s loss against Providence in their last game.

 

 

 

T. Alexander 

R. Kalkbrenner 

A. Kaluma 

R. Nembhard 

B. Scheierman

 

J. Hawkins 

A. Jackson  

A. Karaban 

T. Newton 

A. Sanogo

 

 

PPG: R. Kalkbrenner (15.3)

APG: R. Nembhard (5.8)

Reb/G: B. Scheierman (9.2)

 

PPG: A. Sanogo (17.4)

APG: A. Jackson Jr. (5)

Reb/G: A. Sanogo (6.8)

 

Coaches:

Creighton Bluejays: Greg McDermott (13th season)

UConn Huskies: Dan Hurley (5th season)