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Creighton vs UConn Picks and Odds (Feb. 1)

Jack Magruder

by Jack Magruder in College Basketball

Updated Feb 1, 2022 · 2:55 AM PST

UConn guard R.J. Cole celebrating a win
UConn guard R.J. Cole (2) after an NCAA college basketball game between UConn and Butler in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. UConn won 75-56. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
  • No. 17 UConn is a x-point favorite over Creighton on Tuesday
  • Creighton beat the Huskies three times last season
  • Read below for analysis and a betting prediction on the Creighton vs UConn odds

No. 17 UConn (15-4, 6-2 Big East) is a 9.5-point home favorite over Creighton in a Big East game at 6:30 pm Tuesday on FS1. The Huskies have won five straight, although all have come against second-division Big East teams.

Creighton (12-7, 4-4) has lost two in a row and four of its last six against a rough stretch of schedule that included two games against No. 21 Xavier and one against No. 12 Villanova, two on the road and all three losses.

Creighton vs UConn Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Creighton Bluejays +300 +9.5 (-110) Over 134.5 (-110)
UConn Huskies -400 -9.5 (-110) Under 134.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel on Jan 31.

No. 17 UConn is a 9.5-point home favorite against Creighton, with the total set at a low-ish 134.5. UConn is -400 on the moneyline, which means the Huskies have a 80% implied win probability. The Bluejays, at +300 on the moneyline, have a 25% implied win probability.

The Huskies are hanging in among the top-25 in the NCAA Tournament odds, currently sitting at +6250. Creighton is considerably longer at +20000.

UConn’s +550 Big East conference odds are third-best in the 11-team conference behind only Villanova (-153) and Providence (+265). The Bluejays are mid-pack at +4150.

Huskies On a Roll

Since losing in overtime at Seton Hall to fall to 1-2 in Big East play, the Huskies have blitzed through the bottom-feeder portion of the schedule — beating St. John’s, Butler (twice), Georgetown and DePaul by an average of 14.8 points per game in a 15-day stretch that ended Saturday in Chicago.

Guard 6’1 R.J. Cole had 25 points to help slow-starting UConn overcome a 10-point first-half deficit in a 57-50 win at DePaul the last time out. Cole leads four Huskies’ double-digit scorers at 16.1 points per game.

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Player availability has been a big factor for UConn. The Huskies were 2-2 when aggressive forward 6’9 Adama Sanogo (15.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 34 blocked shots) missed four starts because of abdominal and hamstring injuries in mid-December.

The Huskies also lost both games that 6’9 Isaiah Whaley (7.1 points, 37 blocked shots) did not start. Whaley fainted on the bench following the 115-109 double-overtime victory over No. 1 Auburn in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis and did not play in the 64-60 loss to Michigan State the next day.

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UConn is 11-0 when Cole, Sanogo, Whaley, Tyrese Martin (13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds) and Andre Jackson (7.6 points, 7.8 rebounds) start. Cole, Sanogo, Martin and reserve 6’9 Tyler Polley have at least one 24-point game this season.

The Huskies play well in the paint. They are second in Division I with 6.9 blocked shots per game and are ninth with a plus-8.4 rebound margin.

Bluejays Look to Rebound

Creighton could not hold a 17-point halftime lead in a 74-64 home loss to Xavier in its last time out Saturday, the Bluejays’ second straight loss and fourth in the last six games.

Xavier scored the first 19 points of the second half as the Bluejays went 0-for-6 from the field and committed five turnovers in the first 7 1/2 minutes. Young Creighton trailed 48-38 by the time it scored its first field goal of the second half, 11 minutes in.

Senior guard 6’6 Alex O’Connell (12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds) leads four Bluejays in double figures, with transfer Ryan Hawkins (12.6, 7.3), sophomore 7′ Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.1, 7.1) and freshman 6′ Ryan Nembhard (11.8, 4.2 assists) following.

UConn Has Revenge on Its Mind

Creighton beat UConn three times last season, winning both of the regular-season games in the Huskies’ return to the Big East before eliminating the Huskies in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

The Huskies were held without a field in the final six minutes of the 59-56 loss in the tourney and were out-rebounded 50-33. The Bluejays had 17 offensive rebounds

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Creighton beat UConn 78-76 in overtime in Storrs in the first game last season, using a 9-0 overtime run to take control of the game, which was UConn’s first in the Big East since March 9, 2013. The Bluejays took the return match in Omaha 74-66.

UConn returns four starters from that group. Creighton has none. The Bluejays were 1-2 against the spread, covering only as a 1.5-point favorite in the Big East tourney.

Betting Trends

UConn is 6-1 straight up and 5-2 ATS in its last seven. The Huskies are 9-1 at home, 5-5 ATS. Creighton is 4-4 straight up, 5-3 ATS in its last eight.

The Bluejays are 2-3 straight up and 3-2 ATS on the road. The total has been over in 13 of UConn’s 19 games and in seven of 10 home games. Creighton’s numbers skew the other way. The Bluejays are 6-12-1 against the over.

Check Tuesday’s college basketball public betting trends to see which way the public is leaning on this game.

Creighton vs UConn Prediction

UConn is at full strength and playing about as well as anyone in the Big East right now. This looks like a trap game for the Huskies with Villanova, Marquette and Xavier as the next three, but they are the choice to power through here.

The pick: UConn -9.5 (-110)

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