A good one is set to go down in Omaha on Saturday afternoon when Marcus Zegarowski and the No. 11 ranked Creighton Bluejays attempt to snap their first two-game losing streak of the season against the No. 23 ranked UConn Huskies. Connecticut saw its four-game win streak get snapped at online sportsbooks last time out in a tough home loss to a St. John’s squad that climbed over .500 with the victory. They’ll now put their unblemished 3-0 SU and ATS true road marks on the line in their first-ever trip to Omaha to face a Creighton outfit that stole a 76-74 overtime win in their visit to Storrs at the end of December. Including the loss to the Friars, Creighton’s now only lost three home games dating back to the 2019 season; it failed to cover after the two most recent defeats but did go on to win both games outright.
This heated Big East showdown will take place on Saturday, January 23, 2020. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. ET from the CHI Health center in Omaha, NE. The game will be broadcast live on FOX. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Connecticut enters its fourth true road test of the season ranked No. 28 overall per the current Pomeroy Ratings. Creighton clocks in 13 spots ahead of them at No. 15. Each has played to relatively similar opponent strengths with the Huskies ranked No. 64 and the Bluejays No. 54. UConn has a neutral court win under its belt against USC, but has also gone into Marquette, Butler and DePaul’s houses and come out a winner laying short chalk each time. Before the current losing streak, Creighton rattled off successive home wins and covers against St. John’s and Seton Hall winning by an average of 27.0 points per game. They’ll enter this tilt 7-2 SU and 4-5 ATS as hosts. The first meeting between these teams combined for a high scorer mostly due to 50 combined free throws attempted with 34 of them converted. Look for the Bluejays to open up as 6-8 point favorites with the total lined in the mid to upper 140s.
Connecticut Huskies
The Huskies went into their first showdown with the Bluejays a perfect 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS. Though the team gave Creighton all it could handle ultimately losing by a 76-74 final count in overtime, it took 40 points from James Bouknight to get to that point. Unfortunately, Dan Hurley will be without the services of his stud guard for the rematch after he went under the knife to repair a hyperextended elbow suffered in the comeback win at Marquette back on January 5. UConn managed to keep its win streak intact following his departure winning and covering against both Butler and DePaul to move to 3-0 SU and ATS on the road, but just absorbed a disappointing 74-70 home defeat to St. John’s in a game it let a 14-point lead evaporate. R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin held up their end of the bargain combining for 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but Tyler Polley was a no show in scoring seven points on 2 of 8 shooting. All three will need to bring their “A” games to Omaha if the Huskies are to even up the season rivalry.
Creighton Bluejays
For the second time in as many games, Creighton had an off shooting night. The end result was 74-70 outright defeat to a Providence club that closed as decided 10-point underdogs. Though Greg McDermott got his superstar back in the lineup, the offense as a whole stunk out loud. It was another poor showing from the field with the team shooting 43 percent overall, but only managing to knock down 4 of 23 shots from long range. Denzel Mahoney missed all five of his attempts as did Mitch Ballock who misfired on all three of his. Zegarowski did manage to drain three of his seven attempts, but only managed a poor 4 of 11 showing overall. As hot a shooting team Creighton has been to this point of the season, it was only a matter of time until regression set in. It won’t be easy in this one either with the Huskies ranked No. 67 at defending the arc and allowing just 5.3 made threes per game (No. 30).
Connecticut vs. Creighton Prediction
I took the first showdown between these teams in live. Bouknight put on a show! But what stood out the most was how physical the game was. It seriously felt like someone was at the charity stripe every single possession with both teams combining for 45 fouls. Unfortunately, the Huskies will be without their star player for this one. Though Polley will be in UConn’s lineup this time around, his 10.0 point per game average won’t be enough to make up for Bouknight’s absence. With Creighton just suffering its second loss at home in conference play, I can’t help but think it comes out determined to make a statement. What better way to do so than against a top-25 opponent that gave them a major run for their money in the first go-round? With a tough roady on deck at Seton Hall, Creighton can’t put itself in a position to possibly lose four straight if it’s to truly contend with Villanova for conference bragging rights. I expect the Bluejays to hit their home hardwood running and never look back en route to accruing at least a 10 point victory that should be good enough to cover all numbers.
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