Butler vs. Creighton Prediction, Preview, and Odds
Only two ranked opponents are playing on Friday night, and one is in a Big East battle as the Butler Bulldogs (14-7, 5-5 Big East) take on the #13 Creighton Bluejays (16-5, 7-3). Butler is coming off a thrilling win in double overtime over Villanova, winning 88-81 as 1.5-point home favorites. Creighton just beat the bottom team in the conference, knocking off DePaul 85-62, but did not cover the massive 24.5-point spread at home. This is the first of two matchups between these teams this season. Creighton won both league matchups against Butler last season. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:00 EST from the CHI Health Center in Omaha and can be found on FS1.
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Climbing out of the Basement
The Butler Bulldogs were stuck with a 2-5 league record not long ago, but were able to reel off three consecutive victories and now find themselves in the middle of the pack. It is worth noting, that the three wins were against the three teams who currently reside at the bottom of the Big East standings in Villanova, Georgetown and DePaul, but a win is still a win. In their last game, they overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to force two overtime in the win over Villanova. Butler was led by guard DJ Davis with 28 points in the game.
— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) January 29, 2024
Butler is led in scoring by 6'6 junior guard Pierre Brooks with 16.6 PPG. He is the top shooter on the team with 57 made threes on 43.2% shooting from deep. He also grabs 4.5 RPG, and has scored in double figures in every game this season, including a high of 26 coming earlier in the season against Penn State. Jahmyl Telfort is a strong 6'7 wing, he adds 13.9 PPG and 5.0 RPG, he had 22 and 11 in the win over Nova last time out. DJ Davis is coming off the high-scoring game against Nova, he is a 6'1 senior guard adding another 13.6 PPG. Butler is guard-heavy, and their top four scorers are perimeter players. Their best frontcourt piece is Jalen Thomas, he averages exactly 6.8 PPG and 6.8 RPG as a 6'10, 240-pound senior.
Butler is currently ranked 54th overall according to KenPom. They have the 47th most efficient offense in the country and rank 82nd in defensive efficiency. They play at the 153rd fastest tempo out of 362 Division I schools. The Big East is projected to get six teams into the Big Dance according to Bracketology, but Butler is listed in the Next Four Out section, placing them on the wrong side of the bubble.
Injury Report:
Out: F Connor Turnbull (4.1 PPG)
Bluejays Take Seven of Eight
The Creighton Bluejays have currently won seven of their last eight games, and are tied for second in the conference with Marquette who each have 7-3 records. They both trail UConn, and the Huskies were the only team Creighton lost to in their recent streak. Creighton features three high-level players with great balance, as they have a point guard, a scoring wing with size, and an imposing center, each of which has all-league talent. In their last game, Creighton was led by guard Trey Alexander with 23 points in the easy win over DePaul.
�� The 14th Annual Pink Out��#GoJays x #CreightonvsCancerpic.twitter.com/N8e0UqyBl2
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) January 30, 2024
Baylor Scheierman is the top scorer on the team and is 4th in the Big East with 17.8 PPG. He is a big guard as a 6'7, 205-pound senior, he grabs 8.1 boards per game and is also the top shooter on the squad with 66 made threes on 37.9% shooting from deep. He has scored 16 or more in his past three games and had a double-double against DePaul with 16 and 10. Trey Alexander is their primary ballhandler, he is a 6'4 junior adding another 17.0 PPG and leads the team with 4.7 APG and also grabs 6.0 RPG. Ryan Kalkbrenner is their big man on the inside, he averages 16.6 PPG and 7.7 RPG while also blocking 2.6 shots per game which leads the Big East.
Creighton is currently ranked 18th overall according to KenPom. They rank 38th in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency. They play slower than Butler on offense, they rank 254th in the nation in tempo. Creighton is currently projected to be a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament in Bracketology.
Injury Report: None listed
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
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Butler was on a nice little win streak, but time is up for the Bulldogs. Butler got to 5-5 in league play by defeating the three worst teams in the conference. The main problem for Butler in this game will be the sheer size of Creighton. Butler's top four scorers are all guards, they do not have reliable post players or much size on the interior. Kalkbrenner is going to eat up everything inside defensively, he leads the conference in blocked shots and will not allow the smaller guards to get any easy buckets around the rim. Even on the perimeter, Scheierman will use his size against the Butler wings. He is a tall and strong guard at 6'7, he can hit the outside shot but is also a beast on the boards averaging over 8 per game to lead Creighton. The Bluejays still have an outside chance of catching UConn for the regular season league title, and they will take advantage of a Butler team that has been playing light competition as of late.
Take Creighton to cover.
Prediction: Creighton -9.5
Full-Game Total Pick
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Creighton is playing at home and will control this game in a way that pushes the number over the total. Creighton can shoot from the outside, but they will not need to. They have size advantages at every position, even Trey Alexander is a big guard at 6'4. Creighton will be scoring at the rim, especially with Kalkbrenner and Scheierman. They do not have a very fast tempo, but that gets offset by their offense which is extremely efficient, ranking 39th out of 362 college basketball teams. Butler is also better on offense than they are on defense, which is why Creighton will score big, but also shows that Butler will do their part to hit this over. The small guards of the Bulldogs will do their best to stretch out the defense and score from the perimeter. Butler has gone over the total in four of their last five, and Creighton has gone over in their three past wins. Both trends continue here.
Take the over.
Prediction: Over 147.5
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