Villanova Wildcats vs Creighton Bluejays Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs Creighton Bluejays

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, NE

TV: ESPN+

CHI Health Center Omaha is the site where the Creighton Bluejays (7-5) will try to defeat the Villanova Wildcats (8-4) on Saturday.

The Villanova Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against Seton Hall and took home the win by a score of 79-67 in their last contest. Villanova walked away from the game with a 55.3% field goal percentage (26 of 47) and made 9 out of their 21 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Wildcats knocked down 18 of 22 attempts for a rate of 81.8%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they earned 28 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 17 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In the matter of defense, Villanova allowed the other team to shoot 39.0% from the field on 23 of 59 shooting. Seton Hall totaled 8 dimes and had 4 steals for the contest. On top of that, Seton Hall grabbed 27 boards (9 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Seton Hall ended up going 71.4% at the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of 21 attempts. They also knocked down 6 of their 17 attempts from distance. When discussing fouls, the Wildcats ended up walking away with 19 while Seton Hall totaled 22 fouls.

Eric Dixon is a player who was a major factor for this contest. He finished the contest at 44.4% from the floor and recorded 3 dimes. He played for 31 mins played and also grabbed 6 rebounds. He totaled 25 points on 8 out of 18 shooting.

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Villanova will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 8-4 for the season. They average 79.1 points per contest (109th in D-1) while shooting 48.9% from the floor. The Wildcats are shooting 40.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (128 of 315) and 80.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Villanova is pulling down 35.6 boards per game and has accounted for 168 assists for the campaign, which is 143rd in D-1 in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 11.3 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.7 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Wildcats are forcing 10.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.1 personal fouls. They relinquish 35.2% from 3-point land and they rank 62nd in college hoops in points per game allowed (66.4). The Wildcats defense is giving up a FG percentage of 42.4% (277 of 654) and they concede 28.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are 259th in the country in giving up assists with 159 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Creighton Bluejays took a loss by a final score of 81-57 when they faced Georgetown. The Bluejays were able to pull down 16 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 21 in the game. They also turned it over 16 times, while earning 6 steals for the game. Georgetown had 13 fouls for the matchup which got the Bluejays to the free throw line for a total of 9 shots. They were able to knock down 3 of the free throws for a percentage of 33.3%. Regarding shooting from 3-point land, Creighton made 12 of their 33 tries (36.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Bluejays shot 21 out of 53 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.6%. The Bluejays allowed Georgetown to convert 33 of 60 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.0% in this contest. They finished 62.5% from beyond the perimeter by going 10 of 16 and ended up shooting 5 out of 7 at the free throw line (71.4%). In relation to how they rebounded, Creighton permitted Georgetown to get 37 in all (8 offensive).

Steven Ashworth ended up being a factor for the Bluejays in this matchup. He earned 21 points in his 36 mins on the court and accumulated 4 dimes for this contest. He knocked down 7 of 17 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 41.2%, and totaled 2 rebounds.

Creighton has a record of 7-5 for the season. The Bluejays commit 11.1 fouls per contest and they go 77.3% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 16.9 times per game (44th in the country) and they cough up possession 13.9 times per contest. Creighton has accumulated 912 pts this year (76.0 per game) and they average 38.7 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bluejays are connecting on 46.4% from the field, which ranks 127th in the country.

The Creighton defense concedes 31.4% on 3-point shots (93 of 296) and their opponents are converting on 72.0% of their foul shots. They allow 11.2 assists and 36.1 rebounds per game, which is 65th and 263rd in those categories on the defensive end. The Bluejays are ranked 161st in D-1 in points given up per game with 70.4. They are forcing 9.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 39.8% from the field (54th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Villanova

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