Creighton Bluejays vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/12/2022

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Saturday, Mar 12, 2022
Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Saturday, March 12, 2022
Venue:  Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to Watch:  Fox

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Creighton +6.5, Villanova -6.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  Creighton +6.5, Villanova -6.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Creighton +6.5, Villanova -6.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points
 

Season Record

Creighton Bluejays:  22-10 (4th place, Big East)
Villanova Wildcats:  25-7 (2nd place, Big East)
 
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Creighton Bluejays vs Villanova Wildcats Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
Creighton Bluejays:  3-2 last 5
Villanova Wildcats:  4-1 last 5
 
 
 

Creighton Bluejays Analysis

Creighton is coming into this game with a 22-10 record overall and they are 5-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have a record of 12-7 this season against conference opponents. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Seton Hall Pirates while their 3 wins since then have come against the UConn Huskies, the Marquette Golden Eagles, and the Providence Friars in their last game. Alex O'Connell led the team in points in that game with 18 while Arthur Kaluma was next on the team with 17 points. O'Connell and Rati Andronikashvili off the bench both led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Ryan Hawkins led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 52.6% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 69.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.6 PPG against them. Creighton has an ATS record of 16-14-2 this season and their O/U record is 11-20-1.
 
 

Villanova Wildcats Analysis

Villanova is coming into this game with a 25-7 record overall and they are 4-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have a record of 16-4 against conference opponents this season. They have won 9 of their last 10 games and are coming into this one on a 4 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the UConn Huskies while their 4 wins since then have come against the Providence Friars, the Butler Bulldogs, the St. John's Red Storm, and the UConn Huskies in their last game. Jermaine Samuels led the team in points in that game with 21 while Brandon Slater was next on the team with 15 points. Collin Gillespie led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Jermaine Samuels led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 42.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 63.7 PPG against them. Villanova has an ATS record of 16-14-2 this season and their O/U record is 16-15-1.
 

 

Creighton vs Villanova Prediction

Creighton is coming into this game as a 6.5 point under dog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Creighton has been playing very well and they have really been heating up in their recent games. Creighton has won 3 of their last 4 games and they have won 2 straight in this tourney to send themselves to the finals. They have some very good wins in that span as they have beaten UConn, Marquette, and Providence. They have been playing very well in their games though as they have won their last 2 games by double digits and in both games they pulled away right at the start and were in control the whole time. They are going up against a Villanova side that has had a much better season than Creighton has but Villanova has not been playing as well as them in their recent games. Villanova has won 4 straight games but 3 of those wins were very close games only winning by a few points. Their last 2 games, the ones played in this tourney, were part of that as they squeaked by St. John's with a 1 point win after a buzzer beating 3-pointer, and again in their last game they just barely got by UConn with a 3 point win there. Creighton has been playing too well right now that they are not a team to fade in this tourney. They have the potential to upset Villanova here and win the whole thing but even if they fall short, Villanova has struggled to win their games in this tourney so even if they do get the win here it will not be by much. Creighton will cover the spread here.
 
Creighton Villanova Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, March 12, 2022 (6:30 pm ET start time) is Creighton 77 Villanova 68.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Creighton Bluejays Villanova Wildcats prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.
 

NCAAB Betting Trends

 
Creighton Bluejays: 35-24 ATS against conference opponents. 112-76 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent. 19-11 UNDER in all games.
Villanova Wildcats: 5-8 ATS in all tournament games. 42-35 UNDER after 2 straight games where they had 5 or less steals. 5-2 UNDER in tournament championship games.
 

Key Injuries

 
Creighton Bluejays:  R. Nembhard (G) out for season - Wrist injury. S. Mitchell (G) out for season - Foot injury.
Villanova Wildcats:  N. Nkoku (F) Ques Sat - Personal.
 

Notable Quotes

 
“We beat a really good team — a championship team. And we did it our way. We did it with defense. We were pretty special tonight on both ends of the floor.“ - Greg McDermott on his team’s win against Providence in the last round.
 
 
“You’ve got to have other players, great players make plays. And that’s what makes us a good team.” - Jay Wright after his team’s win against UConn in the last round.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
Creighton Bluejays
R. Hawkins 
Ryan Kalkbrenner 
A. Kaluma 
Ryan Nembhard 
A. O'Connell
 
Villanova Wildcats
E. Dixon 
C. Gillespie 
J. Moore 
Jermaine Samuels 
B. Slater
 

Statistical Leaders

 
Creighton Bluejays
PPG: R. Hawkins (14.3)
APG: R. Nembhard (4.4)
Reb/G: R. Hawkins (7.7)
 
Villanova Wildcats
PPG: C. Gillespie (16.3)
APG: C. Gillespie (3.1)
Reb/G: E. Dixon (6.5)
 
Coaches:
Creighton Bluejays: Greg McDermott (12th season)
Villanova Wildcats: Jay Wright (21st season)


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

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