The Creighton Blue Jays have not had any trouble facing off against high-major opponents this season and will aim to knock off another one on the road in non-conference play. Creighton should be the favorite when it travels to play the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Arizona State plays in the Pac-12 but is one of the bottom-tier teams and even at home could have a tough time knocking off the Blue Jays. Creighton is undefeated on the season and ranked in the top-10 in the country and will aim to keep ascending toward the top tier of programs.
At 9 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, at Royal Farms Arena.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Creighton is 11-0 straight up but just barely as the Blue Jays knocked off Oral Roberts by only a point last time out. Creighton is 7-2-1 against the spread this season as it has generally done a really nice job. The Blue Jays have only played one true road game this year but did cover the spread in it.
Arizona State is 6-4 straight up and 3-6-1 against the spread this season. The Sun Devils are 2-2-1 against the spread at home this season and should be getting some points in this one.
Player to Watch
Khyri Thomas -- Creighton’s sophomore guard does a little bit of everything for the team. He is averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Thomas has shot the ball extremely effectively this season, hitting 60 percent on field goals and 53.3 percent from downtown.
While those numbers are extremely high for a guard and don’t figure to remain that way the rest of the season, Arizona State can have defensive lapses at times and that should give Thomas plenty of opportunity to make a big impact in this matchup.
Thomas has hit double digits in rebounding twice in the past five games as he is able to affect games in a variety of ways.
Transfer Update
One of Arizona State’s best players was Sam Cunliffe, a freshman guard who was averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season. However, he recently announced his decision to leave the team to move closer to home.
It’s a big blow, as he was the team’s highest-ranked recruit and a player who was improving as the season went along. Arizona State was already thin on high-end talent, and the loss of Cunliffe puts a big damper on the recruiting class coach Bobby Hurley brought in last year.
The Sun Devils will now lean even more heavily on Shannon Evans II, Torian Graham and Tra Holder, who are all averaging more than 15 points per game on the season. Cunliffe helped keep defenses honest by shooting 40.5 percent from three-point range and not having him to space the floor is a blow.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Arizona State is a high-major at home against a smaller-conference foe, and most of the time that would mean it is favored. However, Creighton is the better team and should come in expecting to win this one.
Hurley may be able to turn around the Sun Devils’ program eventually but this will be another tough year. The Blue Jays should be able to come in and take care of business to keep up their impressive start to the season.
Creighton may not play in a power conference but it has proven it is one of the best teams in the country this season and that idea will be reinforced here.
College Basketball Odds: Creighton 89, Arizona State 82
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