by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: CHI Health Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
Where to watch: FS1
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Creighton -5.5
FanDuel: Creighton -5.5
BetMGM: Creighton -5.5
Caesars: Creighton -5.5
Season record
No. 10 Marquette: 21-6 (13-3 Big East)
No. 19 Creighton: 18-9 (12-4 Big East)
February is here and the college basketball season is taking full shape. Conference races still to be determined, the top 25 completely in shambles for what seems like every week, and there's bound to be an upset what seems like every single week. But as the season continues to progress with what seems like exciting action every week, you know our champion handicappers continue to put the work in each and every week to not only make money for them, but to ensure you get money in your pocket. All you need to do is look at the last 30 days. Scott Rickenbach has reeled in a net profit of $14,000 with a 24-9-0 run on the college hardwood. Team Del Genio has killed it with a 13-1-0 run at +$11,900. Will Rogers (28-15-0) and Matt Fargo (40-27-0) have also seen five figures over the last 30 days with college basketball. Surely, you want to get on this winning as well. All you need to do is go to bigal.com, check out our Best Bets page and make sure you are following along on the action. March will be here before you know it! Take advantage of our best plays and find out what our champion handicappers are doing at bigal.com!
Marquette - Creighton preview, prediction and analysis
Oh, baby. The best game on the Big East schedule today. You haven’t lived until something like this has hit your radar. We’ve talked the last few weeks about what the Big East has in store, but this is the game that we’re all looking forward to. The Marquette Golden Eagles, atop the Big East by one game over three teams, will face one of those teams on Tuesday, the No. 18 Creighton Bluejays in what might be the game of the night on this slate of heavy-packed basketball.
Somehow, with everything that’s happened, Marquette finds itself atop the Big East ahead of Xavier, Providence and Creighton. Marquette is coming off a thrilling win over one of those second-place teams in Xavier, 69-68, on Saturday in a game that required a late rally to get the victory.
Stevie Mitchell led the way with 17 points, and Tyler Kolek had 15 points, but it was Olivier-Maxence Prosper that put in the game-winning basket with 1.6 seconds left to give Marquette the win and a solid grip on first place in the conference.
“I knew if he missed it, that was my rebound,” Prosper said. “I just went as hard as I could. It bounced right. I just went up there and just put it back in. That's just an effort play.”
This is a Marquette team that was picked to finish ninth in the league and is now in prime position to finish the regular season with a top-10 ranking and is going to make this a fun time. The Golden Eagles are one game ahead of all three of the biggest contenders to the conference title. One of those teams is the opponent on Tuesday that could make things super interesting.
Creighton is coming off a 77-67 win over St. John’s over the weekend, a solid rebound victory after losing 94-86 in double overtime at Providence on Feb. 14. Ryan Nembhard led the way with 16 points, and the Bluejays shot just 38.7 percent from the floor but still found a way to win. Arthur Kaluma added 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting to go with six rebounds and five assists.
“Art probably hasn’t shot as well as he would like this season for his standards, but he does trust his work,” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. “The guy gets extra work in every day on his shooting and you hope that extra work will pay off when your team needs you the most. Art hit some really big ones for us down the stretch.”
Prediction
It’s going to be a barnburner of a game that should be enticing as hell to watch. Creighton is playing a fun game at home, and that team is going to be hefty to overcome for Marquette. But that’s how tested this Marquette team is and they should be in a position to win. Marquette 82, Creighton 80
Betting trends
Marquette is 20-15 ATS as an underdog the last 3 seasons.
Marquette is 12-4 ATS after winning 3 of 4 this season.
Creighton is 28-34 ATS as a favorite the last 3 seasons.
Creighton is 117-80 ATS revenging a loss since 1997.
Projected starting lineup
Marquette:
PG: Stevie Mitchell
SG: Tyler Kolek
SF: Kam Jones
PF: Oliver Maxence-Prosper
C: Oso Ighodaro
Creighton:
PG: Ryan Nembhard
SG: Trey Alexander
SF: Baylor Scheierman
PF: Arthur Kaluma
C: Ryan Kalkbrenner
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Marquette Golden Eagles - Creighton Bluejays prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
