Creighton Bluejays vs. Providence Friars Betting Preview
Where: Madison Square Garden— New York, New York
When: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 9:30 PM ET
Line: Creighton Bluejays (-2) vs. Providence Friars (+2); total: 144.5 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 1
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Betting on the Creighton Bluejays (23-8, 10-8 Big East)
Point Spread: -2
Led by savvy playmaker Marcus Foster (18.5 PPG) and redshirt freshman Justin Patton (13.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG), the Bluejays carry the highest-scoring offense in the Big East this season with 83.5 points per game on an excellent 51.2% field-goal percentage, including 40.3% from three-point range.
However, they evidently struggled when starting point guard Maurice Watson Jr. had his season cut short due to a torn ACL, losing seven of their final 12 regular-season games. The injury to Watson has forced Foster and Patton, as well as Khyri Thomas (12.5 PPG), to take their respective games up a notch for the team.
This marks the third meeting between Creighton and Providence this season, with each side winning on the road in the first two. The Bluejays are 2-3 SU and ATS in their last five games overall.
Betting on the Providence Friars (20-11, 10-8 Big East)
Point Spread: +2
No other Big East team is hotter than Providence right now. The Friars bring in a six-game winning streak into this game; a run that began with consecutive wins against Butler, Xavier and at Creighton.
Rodney Bullock is the centerpiece of this Rhode Island group. He averages a team-leading 16.1 points on 32.8 minutes per game, while also adding 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. Along with him are three more double-digit scorers in Emmit Holt (12.3), Kyron Cartwright (11.3) and Jalen Lindsey (10.3)—all of whom have played a key role to their team’s recent success and as to why there’s a good chance that the Friars will go dancing again this year.
Providence leads the all-time series with Creighton at 13-6, which includes a 7-2 slate since the Bluejays made their move to the Big East about four years ago.
Writer’s Prediction
Creighton (-2) wins and covers, 76-70.
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