2017 Big East Tournament Quarterfinal Round – Creighton Bluejays vs. Providence Friars Predictions, Picks and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview

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

College Basketball News and Previews

2017 NCAA March Madness Final Four Preview

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Preview

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Oregon Ducks Preview

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.

Create a betting account now and build a winning college basketball parlay.

1,950 total views,  3 views today

The post 2017 Big East Tournament Quarterfinal Round – Creighton Bluejays vs. Providence Friars Predictions, Picks and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview appeared first on Sports Betting Tips, News, and Analysis.