Creighton Bluejays NCAA Basketball Betting
For head coach Greg McDermott and the Creighton Bluejays, the 2024-25 season was more of the same. Creighton had a solid regular season that was followed by an early departure from the NCAA Tournament. McDermott is the most successful coach in Creighton history, and his Bluejays have had a couple of good March Madness runs. But the quest for the Final Four continues next season after a humbling loss to the Auburn Tigers. McDermott led Creighton to the Elite Eight in 2022 and has a pair of Sweet Sixteens, including last year. But those were the exceptions rather than the rule.
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
2025 Creighton Bluejays Season Recap
Overall, the Creighton Bluejays are 25-10 straight up, 18-11-1 against the spread, and 14-17 over/under the total. Creighton has national metrics of 138th for scoring offense, 44th for field goal percentage, 162nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 110th for free throw percentage, and 41st for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Creighton is 87th for scoring defense, 32nd for field goal percentage permitted, 81st for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 172nd for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Creighton has covered four of its previous seven games and has gone over the total four of its last five outings. First among Creighton scorers is Ryan Kalkbrenner, with 19.2 points per game.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said a trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament was no sure thing, and experienced Creighton made his top-seeded team fight for it before the Tigers found their defensive mojo in the second half and closed out the ninth-seeded Bluejays 82-70 on Saturday night to reach the Sweet 16.
Tahaad Pettiford scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime, and Chad Baker-Mazara added 17 points for Auburn, which held Creighton scoreless for more than six minutes during a 10-0 second-half run. Pettiford scored six points during that burst to push the Tigers to a 68-54 lead.
Under coach Greg McDermott, Creighton had reached the Sweet 16 in three of the previous four years. Fifth-year senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 18 points in his final game for the Bluejays.
“He’s won more games than anybody that’s ever worn a Creighton uniform. He’s won more NCAA Tournament games than anybody who has worn that Creighton uniform,” McDermott said of the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner. “His jersey will hang in the rafters someday, and he cares nothing about that, zero. That’s what makes him so special.”
Kalkbrenner banked in a 3-pointer to open the scoring for Creighton and came out on top statistically against 6-10 Auburn All-American Johni Broome, who had eight points on 4-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. Auburn also got 15 points from Denver Jones.
The game featured seven ties and 16 lead changes, and Creighton's perimeter game was on point throughout the first half. The Blue Jays shot 64% from 3-point range and 52% overall to lead 37-35 at the break.
Creighton went ahead 50-48 on two free throws by Kalkbrenner with 14:13 left. Ten seconds later, Baker-Mazara converted a three-point play, and Auburn never trailed again. The Tigers shot 60% in the second half.
Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal scored 13 points each for Creighton, and Jackson McAndrew contributed 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Auburn teammates had to help Baker-Mazara to his feet after he injured his right hip in the second half. He was also helped from the floor after he made two free throws. He later returned to the bench, holding an ice pack on his hip, and re-entered the game for several minutes.
Broome had a tip-in as the shot clock expired to make it 66-54 during Auburn's decisive run.
Ashworth and McAndrew combined to make 6 of 9 3-pointers and score 23 points before halftime. Ashworth managed just two points in the second half.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2025 |
Lost Second Round vs. (1) Auburn 70–82 |
| 2024 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (6) Tennessee 75–82 |
| 2023 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (5) San Diego State, 56–57 |
| 2022 |
Lost Second Round vs. (1) Kansas, 72–79 |
| 2021 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (1) Gonzaga, 65–83 |
| 2018 |
Lost First Round vs. (9) Kansas State, 59–69 |
| 2017 |
Lost First Round vs. (11) Rhode Island, 72–84 |
| 2014 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (6) Baylor, 55–85 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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