Kennesaw State vs Creighton Picks and Odds (Nov. 11)
- The Creighton Bluejays are 19.5-point home favorites over the Kennesaw State Owls in an NCAA men’s basketball game slated for Thursday, November 11
- Creighton is seeking to open the year 2-0 for the 11th time in 12 seasons
- The Bluejays hold a 3-0 edge over the Owls in the all-time series
Will the Kennesaw State Owls be the next victims on the Creighton Bluejays dance card? In 11 of the past 12 years, the Bluejays opened with successive victories.
Creighton is already halfway to this objective. Tuesday, the 2021-22 NCAA season was launched with a 90-77 decision over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Owls fell 84-73 to the Iowa State Cyclones in their season opener.
It’s the BlueJays who are being established as solid 19.5-home favorites. Creighton is 0-1 against the spread this season. The Bluejays pushed as 13-point picks over the Golden Lions in their season opener.
Owls vs Bluejays Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State Owls | +1100 | +19.5 (-118) | O 148.5 (-108) |
| Creighton Bluejays | -2500 | -19.5 (-104) | U 148.5 (-112) |
Odds as of November 10th at FanDuel.
Tipoff for Thursday’s game at the CHI Health Center Omaha is set for 7:30 pm ET.
Bluejays Rebuilding or Reloading?
Creighton returns seven lettermen from last year’s team. However, none of them were starters for the squad that finished 22-9 overall. Creighton was runner-up in the Big East. The Bluejays reached the program’s first March Madness Sweet 16 since 1974.
There are just seven non-freshmen on this season’s roster. Among Creighton’s scholarship returnees, only Ryan Kalkbrenner (5.9 points per game.), Alex O’Connell (3.4 ppg.) and Shereef Mitchell (3.3 ppg.) are back after playing last season. Rati Andronikashvili and Modestas Kancleris are back after redshirting last year after suffering torn ACLs.
1 in the books🤟🏾💙 https://t.co/KAMmbzS7Gp
— Arthur Kaluma (@___kingart) November 10, 2021
The Bluejays added grad transfers KeyShawn Feazell(13.1 ppg., 9.9 rpg) from McNeese State and Ryan Hawkins (22.6 ppg., 8.8 rpg) for Division II Northwest Missouri State to replenish the front court.
Creighton also features the #7 recruiting class in the nation. This group is including top-100 prospects Tey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma, Mason Miller and Ryan Nembhard.
Owls Played Cyclones Tough
Kennesaw State proved a tough out in the Owls’ season opener against Iowa State of the Big 12. The Owls never led but they trailed the Cyclones by just six points with under four minutes to play.
It was a rugged affair, with 56 fouls called. KSU attempted 36 of the game’s 69 free-throw attempts. KSU’s Terrell Burden drew 15 of those fouls. His team-high 21 points included 13-of-19 from the charity stripe.
The Owls gave the Cyclones a tight battle all night long, ISU hit just enough long jumpers late to hold off the upset attempt. #BONE | #DoMore | #OneKS 🦉 pic.twitter.com/GX6yM5rnyG
— Kennesaw State MBB (@KSUOWLSMBB) November 10, 2021
The Owls return their top six scorers from last year’s team that finished 5-19, Numbered among those returnees are Spencer Rodgers (16.3 ppg.), Chris Youngblood (12.4 ppg.), Burden (7.6 ppg.), Alex Peterson (7.3 ppg.), Brandon Stroud (5.5 ppg.), and Kasen Jennings (5.0 ppg.).
Kennesaw State Winless Against Creighton
All three previous meetings between the Owls and Bluejays have gone Creighton’s way. Each of the three previous encounters also took place in Omaha.
Last year, the Bluejays were 93-58 winners. Kalkbrenner led the way with 14 points in that game. In 2019, Creighton claimed an 81-55 verdict over Kennesaw State. There was also a 75-57 Bluejays triumph over the Owls in 2010.
Creighton-Kennesaw State Betting Trends
The Bluejays fell behind 26-11 in their season opener before rallying for victory. O’Connell tied a career-high with 20 points. Nembhard (15 points, 10 assists) and Hawkins (16 points, 11 rebounds) each debuted with double-doubles. Kaluma added 15 points in his Bluejays debut.
Kennesaw State was 0-9 straight up on the road last season. The Owls went 0-5 against non-conference teams last season.
➕1️⃣#GoJays pic.twitter.com/swtLAVlWoQ
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) November 10, 2021
Creighton coach Greg McDermott is 3-0 against the Owls and 8-0 against teams from the ASUN Conference. The Bluejays are 158-36 at home under McDermott. They’ve never trailed in 60 of those games. McDermott owns an 88-6 record vs. non-conference teams at CHI Health Center Omaha, including 19 straight wins.
The Bluejays have won 42 straight home games against teams that are winless entering the night. They’ve won those games by an average of 24.76 points.
Pick: Creighton Bluejays -16.5 (-104)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
