All good things must come to an end, as the old saying goes. And for the Villanova Wildcats that good thing was a four-year long home court winning streak. Nova has just three losses on the season now, following another defeat at the hands of Butler on Wednesday. It doesn’t change the Wildcats’ situation, they’ll still win the Big East regular season title, but their ranking could take a hit and that winning streak which reached 48 games at the cozy Pavilion must start anew against the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, February 25, 2017, at 3 p.m. ET at The Pavilion. The game will be televised live on FOX. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Bluejays have done something Villanova failed to do this season, and they did it twice. Creighton knocked off Butler in both their meetings, but losses to teams like Georgetown, Seton Hall and Providence, all sub-.500 teams in Big East play, has them playing catch up. The Bluejays have failed to gain any traction over the past three weeks, alternating wins and losses over their past six games while doing the same on the spread line. That stretch, including a loss to Providence on Wednesday as a 6.5-point favorite, likely has the Bluejays falling out of the top 25 in next week’s poll.
It’s always a bit of a shocker when Villanova loses, simply because it doesn’t happen that often. And losing twice in one season to the same team is even more surprising. But the Wildcats will enter Saturday’s game looking to avoid their first losing streak since they dropped their final two games of the 2012-13 season. Since then, Nova has followed each of its 15 losses with a SU victory and defeated a tough Virginia squad following their previous loss. Nova posted a 10-point win over Creighton in their earlier meeting, covering the line as a 1.5-point favorite.
Injury Report
Playing their fourth straight game without Darryl Reynolds, who continues his recovery from a rib injury, the Wildcats felt his absence the most in their loss to Butler. Reynolds isn’t much of a scorer, but he doesn’t need to be with Kris Jenkins, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson handling those chores. However, Reynolds is a defensive presence in the interior with his ability to alter shots and protect the rim while gobbling up rebounds.
He also gives the team much needed depth. Jay Wright doesn’t go too far down the bench and has used a rotation of seven main players much of the season. Depth wasn’t an issue in Villanova’s 22-point win over Seton Hall, but the team was thin and worn out in the second half of its loss to Butler. Six Nova players split the 200 minutes and the Wildcats surrendered an 18-0 scoring run midway through the second half. It was an obvious sign of fatigue for the group.
Last Meeting
The confidence level among the Bluejays soared after learning of Villanova’s second loss this season to Butler. That’s because Creighton already beat the No. 2 team in the conference twice and could have a slight edge. Of course those results don’t mean anything, but Creighton has to feel much better after suffering an 80-70 loss to Villanova earlier on its own floor.
The game was much closer than the score and featured nine lead changes and five ties, but the Bluejays wilted down the stretch and allowed Nova to pull away in the final few minutes. Knowing they can compete with the Wildcats and watching them crumble late against Butler could be the inspiration needed for an upset.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Villanova has followed its last 15 losses with a win and the Bluejays will have to play a full 40 minutes to even sniff an upset. The Wildcats have at least a share of the regular season Big East title secured and that could have been a factor in their play against Butler. Don’t expect them to make the same mistake this time around.
With both teams coming off losses, it’s the Wildcats who are still looking good. They’ve lost just three times this season and have a 10-point road win over the Bluejays from earlier. Creighton likes to get in track meets and that could help them against an undermanned team. But the likelihood of shutting down Hart, Brunson and Jenkins is a task that’s much too tall.
College Basketball Odds: Villanova 76, Creighton 67
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
