Creighton Bluejays vs Providence Friars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/16/2026

Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Friday, January 16, 2026

Venue:  Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Creighton -1.5, Providence +1.5; Over/Under:  162.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Creighton -1.5, Providence +1.5; Over/Under:  162.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Creighton -1.5, Providence +1.5; Over/Under:  162.5 points

Creighton Bluejays:  11-7 (5-2) (4th place, Big East)

Providence Friars:  8-9 (1-5) (10th place, Big East)

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Creighton Bluejays:  3-2  last 5

Providence Friars:  1-4  last 5

Creighton is entering this game with an 11-7 record overall, a 5-2 record in conference games, and they are 2-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Georgetown Hoyas in their last game. Austin Swartz led the team in points in that game with 33 while Josh Dix was next on the team with 15. Nik Graves led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Owen Freeman and Nik Graves each led the team in rebounds with 4. They were 52.5% from the field, 39.4% from 3-point range, and 81.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.3 PPG against them. Creighton has an ATS record of 8-10 this season and their O/U record is 7-11.

Providence is entering this game with an 8-9 record overall, a 1-5 conference record, and they are 6-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Villanova Wildcats in their last game. Jaylin Sellers led the team in points in that game with 24 while Jamier Jones was next on the team with 23. Jaylin Sellers and Ryan Mela each led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Corey Floyd Jr. led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 55.4% from the field, 32% from 3-point range, and 70.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 88.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 85.1 PPG against them. Providence has an ATS record of 9-8 this season and their O/U record is 12-5.

The current betting odds have Creighton listed as a 1.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Creighton has looked good in their games this season with their 11-7 record overall and their 5-2 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big East. They haven't been a great road team though with their 2-3 road record this year. Meanwhile, Providence has looked terrible in their games this season with their 8-9 record overall and their 1-5 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the Big East. They have looked better on their home court with their 6-3 home record this season, but they have taken some bad losses there too. They are 1-4 in their last 5 games and have struggled a lot since starting conference play. They are off a loss to Villanova in their last one and they have played in some tighter games lately with chances to win those, but they continue to find ways to collapse down the stretch and lose those games. Creighton isn't ranked in the top 25 and hasn't been overly impressive this year, but Greg McDermott has put out solid teams each year with multiple tournament appearances so they are still going to be in the mix this season even though they aren't as strong as years past. Providence is definitely going to have some desperation in this game, but Creighton is the more talented team at the end of the day and if this game is tight in the end, Providence will find a way to lose it like they have been doing this year. Providence is a disaster this season so look for Creighton to take advantage of that. The best way to place a bet here is on Creighton to cover the spread in this game. 

Creighton Providence Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, January 16, 2026 (6:30 pm ET start time) is Creighton 77 Providence 72.

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Creighton Bluejays: 12-3 ATS as a road favorite or pick. 21-14 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 11-5 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 3-0 OVER after a game where they allowed a shooting pct. of 55% or higher.

Providence Friars: 0-5 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 5-10 ATS at home off a loss against a conference rival. 7-3 OVER as a home underdog of 6 points or less or pick. 18-9 OVER versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting 18 free throws/game or less. 

Creighton Bluejays:  L. McChesney (F) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Townley-Thomas (F) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Dimitrijevic (C) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. McAndrew (F) Out - Foot.

Providence Friars:  J. Edwards (G) Questionable - Foot. J. Harrell (G-F) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Barron (F-G) Out - Concussion. D. Davis (G) Out - Knee.

“We talk about next play all the time, and we preach it, preach it, preach it. But they scored 16 possessions in a row in the second half, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been part of a game where that’s happened and we won. Fortunately, we were matching them. They didn’t create much separation during that stretch. But they had some guys play really well tonight. They had some guys shoot at a level they haven’t shot the ball.” - Greg McDermott after his team’s win against Georgetown in their last game. 

“Our backs are more than against the wall right now. It’s going to be a good test for us to watch us not let go of the rope.” - Kim English after his team’s loss against Villanova in their last game. 

T. Davis 

J. Dix 

J. Green 

A. Swartz 

I. Traudt

O. Erhunmwunse 

C. Floyd 

R. Mela 

J. Sellers 

S. Vaaks

PPG: Josh Dix (12.2)

APG: Nik Graves (3.5)

Reb/G: Jasen Green (5.1)

PPG: Jason Edwards (17.2)

APG: Jason Edwards (3.3)

Reb/G: Oswin Erhunmwunse (7)

Coaches:

Creighton Bluejays: Greg McDermott (16th season)

Providence Friars: Kim English (3rd season)