Villanova Wildcats vs Creighton Bluejays Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs Creighton Bluejays

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Villanova (+5)

The Villanova Wildcats (16-14) are traveling to T-Mobile Center on Thursday where they will take on the Creighton Bluejays (20-11). Villanova is 5-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 134.5.

The Villanova Wildcats took the court against Seton Hall and took home the win by a score of 76-72 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Wildcats finished with 16 and Seton Hall had 18 fouls. They buried 8 of their 18 tries from beyond the perimeter. Seton Hall ended up going 77.8% from the free throw line by making 14 of their 18 tries. On top of that, Seton Hall had 28 rebounds (11 offensive, 17 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Seton Hall earned 14 dimes and had 7 steals for the contest. With regard to defense, Villanova allowed the other team to go 45.5% from the field on 25 of 55 shooting. They also distributed 9 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When discussing rebounding, they compiled 21 with 2 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Wildcats converted 22 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 95.7%. Villanova ended the contest with a 53.7% field goal percentage (22 of 41) and knocked down 10 of their 23 3-point shots.

Justin Moore is a player who was a factor in the matchup. He accumulated 23 points on 6 out of 10 shooting. He played for 35 minutes and totaled 2 boards. He finished 60.0% from the field but finished the game without an assist.

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Villanova will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 16-14 for the season. They are averaging 69.9 pts per game (221st in the nation) while connecting on 44.0% from the field. The Wildcats are shooting 33.6% on 3-pointers (257 of 766) and 82.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Villanova is pulling in 31.2 boards per game and has accounted for 333 dimes for the campaign, which is 342nd in college hoops in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.3 times per contest and as a group they are committing 16.1 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Wildcats are able to force 11.4 turnovers every game and they draw 15.6 fouls. They relinquish 33.9% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 112th in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (67.8). The Wildcats defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.9% (725 of 1,651) and they relinquish 32.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 252nd in D-1 in allowing assists with 431 conceded on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Creighton Bluejays took home the win by a final score of 84-70 when they faced DePaul. Regarding cleaning the glass, Creighton permitted DePaul to collect 27 in all (9 on the offensive side). They finished 35.3% from distance by connecting on 6 of 17 and ended up shooting 10 of 15 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Bluejays allowed DePaul to knock down 27 out of their 67 tries from the field which had them shooting 40.3% for the matchup. When the game finished, the Bluejays walked away from this one shooting 31 out of 61 from the floor which had them shooting 50.8%. In reference to three-point shots, Creighton knocked down 8 of 21 tries (38.1%). They were able to make 14 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 82.4%. DePaul committed 17 fouls in the game which took the Bluejays to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They gave up possession 16 times, while recording 8 steals in this game. The Bluejays were able to pull down 29 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 in this contest.

Trey Alexander ended up being a major contributor for the Bluejays in this matchup. He earned 21 points in his 35 mins on the court and accounted for 2 assists in the game. He knocked down 8 of 14 for the game giving him a rate of 57.1%, and had 6 rebounds.

Creighton has a mark of 20-11 on the year. The Bluejays are committing 13.1 fouls per game while shooting 76.0% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 15.8 times per game (25th in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.7 times per game. Creighton has accounted for 2,382 points on the campaign (76.8 per game) and they pull in 37.5 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Bluejays are hitting on 46.9% from the field, which is 54th in the country.

The Creighton defense concedes 33.5% on 3-pointers (191 of 571) and their opponents are making 72.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 12.5 assists and 33.2 total boards per game, ranking them 171st and 120th in those defensive categories. The Bluejays on the defensive side of the court are 117th in college basketball in PPG surrendered with 67.9. They are forcing 10.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.0% from the field (77th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Creighton (-5)

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