Doug McDermott has the Creighton Bluejays on the verge of winning their first Big East Tournament championship in his team’s inaugural season in the conference. Could one of the original Big East schools in the Providence Friars stop the new kids on the block from reigning atop their storied conference?
Providence Friars vs. Creighton Bluejays (March 15, 8:30 PM EST)
Line: Providence Friars (+7.5) at Creighton Bluejays (-7.5); total 147.0
Betting on the Providence Friars
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Friars are back to the Big East championship game for the first time in nearly 20 years after ending Seton Hall’s charmed run with an 80-74 victory in the semifinals on Saturday. Coach Ed Cooley couldn’t be happier with the performances of LaDontae Henton and Bryce Cotton, who each churned out great numbers against the Pirates. Henton led all scorers and rebounders with 26 points and 14 boards, while Cotton had a sparkling game of his own, scoring 18 and dishing out 10 assists.
All of the Friars’ last night games have hit the OVER as the team continues to excel offensively. They head to the championship game carrying a 6-2 ATS record in their last eight games, which includes back-to-back covers against Seton Hall and St. John’s.
The Friars defeated Creighton in the teams first meeting this season, 81-68, in a game in which Cotton outplayed Creighton’s Doug McDermott by scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Betting on the Creighton Bluejays
There’s no such thing as beginner’s luck for Creighton, who have been successful in their first season as a member of the Big East conference. Instead, the Bluejays have Doug McDermott as their talisman. McDermott, the top candidate to win the Wooden Award and the nation’s top scorer (26.5 PPG), dropped 32 points, going 10 for 20 shooting from the floor and perfect from the free throw line to tow the Bluejays past Xavier in the semifinals, 86-78.
For the third game in a row, Creighton shot 55% from the field or better. Before facing Xavier, the Bluejays shot 64.7% and 63.6% from the floor against Providence and DePaul, respectively. McDermott was simply lights out on offense during that stretch. He’s averaged 37.3 PPG in Creighton’s last three games.
Prediction – Creighton Overpowers Providence
Doug McDermott is on a mission and Providence will have trouble all game long containing the Bluejays hotshot. Still, the Friars will get theirs and keep it close enough to cover +7.5 while pushing the total over for their tenth-straight over.
