Creighton Bluejays vs Marquette Golden Eagles Prediction, 12/30/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Creighton Bluejays vs Marquette Golden Eagles

Date: Saturday, December 30, 2023

Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI

TV: ESPN+

The Creighton Bluejays (9-3) are on their way to Fiserv Forum on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Marquette Golden Eagles (10-3).

The Creighton Bluejays faced Villanova and ended up losing by a score of 68-66 in their last game. Creighton walked away from the contest with a 39.7% FG percentage (23 of 58) and made 5 of 24 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bluejays buried 15 of 21 attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 46 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 10 dimes for this contest while forcing 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. With respect to defending, Creighton allowed their opponent to shoot 40.9% from the field on 27 of 66 shooting. Villanova distributed 7 dimes and had 10 steals in the game. In addition, Villanova collected 30 rebounds (4 offensive, 26 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Villanova shot 70.0% at the free throw line by converting 7 of 10 tries. They buried 7 out of their 22 tries from beyond the perimeter. Regarding personal fouls, the Bluejays finished with 13 while Villanova accounted for 15 personal fouls.

Trey Alexander is a guy who was a contributor for the game. He finished 40.0% from the field and also recorded 3 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 43 minutes and collected 15 boards. He totaled 16 points on 6 out of 15 shooting.

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Creighton heads into this one with a record of 9-3 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 10.8 times per game and as a unit they commit 10.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Creighton is collecting 40.3 boards per game and has accounted for 203 dimes on the year, which ranks 48th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Bluejays are hitting 37.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (132 of 352) and 75.4% from the free throw line. They average 83.0 points per outing (39th in Division 1) while hitting 49.8% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Bluejays are able to force 7.3 turnovers every game while drawing 15.2 fouls. They are giving up 29.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 86th in the nation in points per game allowed (66.7). The Bluejays defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (332 of 794) and they relinquish 31.1 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 33rd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 121 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Marquette Golden Eagles went home victorious with a score of 81-51 when they played Georgetown. The Golden Eagles pulled down 28 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 36 for the matchup. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 11 steals for this game. Georgetown was called for 15 personal fouls in this contest which got the Golden Eagles to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They were able to bury 13 of those for a rate of 68.4%. In relation to three-point shots, Marquette knocked down 10 out of 29 attempts (34.5%). Overall, the Golden Eagles went 29 for 65 from the field which gave them a percentage of 44.6%. The Golden Eagles permitted Georgetown to bury 20 out of 61 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 32.8% for this contest. They finished 20.0% from three-point range by shooting 5 of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 6 out of 11 at the free throw line (54.5%). In reference to how they attacked the glass, Marquette permitted Georgetown to collect 36 in all (9 on the offensive glass).

David Joplin was important for the Golden Eagles for this game. He knocked down 6 out of 11 in the game for a field goal rate of 54.5%, and tallied 9 rebounds. He tallied 20 points in his 28 mins of playing time, but didn't record an assist.

Marquette has a record of 10-3 on the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Golden Eagles are connecting on 47.3% from the field, which is ranked 70th in the nation. Marquette has totaled 1,020 points for the year (78.5 per contest) and they pull down 33.5 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.8 times per game (72nd in the nation) and they cough up possession 10.5 times per game. The Golden Eagles are responsible for committing 16.0 personal fouls every game and they connect on 73.1% from the charity stripe.

The Golden Eagles on the defensive end are ranked 75th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 66.3. They are able to force 16.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (116th in college hoops). The Marquette defense concedes 31.3% on 3-point shots (100 of 320) and opponents are knocking down 69.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 12.8 assists and 35.3 boards per contest, which has them ranked 199th and 203rd in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Marquette

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