Seeding for conference tournaments is all the rage this week on the NCAA basketball betting front, and the No. 3 slot in the Big East is on the line Wednesday when the Creighton Bluejays host the UConn Huskies.
UConn Huskies vs. Creighton Bluejays
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 – 8:30 PM EST at CHI Health Center Omaha
Following Villanova’s narrow victory over Providence on Tuesday, the top two spots in the Big East Tournament are sewn up. Connecticut and Creighton begin the evening just a game apart in third and fourth places, respectively, and everything points to both teams sitting comfortably in the top 5 and avoiding having to play on the first day of the tourney.
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Things are looking especially good for the Huskies to keep from having to lace ‘em up for Round 1, but that may not be the case for the Bluejays if they are on the wrong side of the NCAAB score. Creighton closes things out this Saturday against a Seton Hall team that is hosting the winless Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday. A Pirates win and Bluejays loss means those teams could battle for the 5-6 slots in Omaha this weekend.
Covers and Totals Split in Previous Four Matchups
But first things first as the Huskies and Bluejays collide in Omaha for their second clash of the campaign. Connecticut is -4 at most online betting sites, with a few listing the Huskies -4½. The two sides have produced different results in total wagering and Wednesday’s scoreboard target is on the 136 lines.
Greg McDermott took his Bluejays up to Hartford to begin February, and they came home with a 59-55 win over UConn. Creighton was a double-digit underdog and instead took a double-digit lead into intermission. The Huskies came out strong to start the second half, but ultimately, it was the Bluejays’ defense that finished off the upset.
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Save for the opening surge in the second half, UConn struggled to find the net from everywhere on the court while shooting under 30% (20-67) from the field overall and 23.8% (5-21) from the 3-point range. Creighton’s Ryan Hawkins led all scorers with 23 points while Isaiah Whaley of the Huskies had 20.
This is still a very young rivalry, though the Huskies and Bluejays are making up for it with Wednesday’s matchup the fifth since December 2020. Creighton has won all four of the previous meetings, while the schools have split the covers. The Bluejays' 59-56 win in Omaha last season came up well short of a 143½-point total.
UConn 0-5 ATS Last Five Big East Roadies
Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley is hoping Wednesday’s officiating crew isn’t the same trio that refereed the Huskies’ contest a week ago against Villanova. Ron Groover, James Breeding, and Nathan Farrell teed Hurley up twice before the end of the first half, and let’s face it, basketball just isn’t any fun for Hurley if he can’t have at least one tantrum a game.
Hurley behaved himself Sunday at Georgetown, and his squad broke away from the Hoyas about eight minutes into the game for an 86-77 dubya. The Huskies built a 22-point lead with a little under three minutes to go but then eased off to allow Georgetown to sneak in and cover as an underdog of 11 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review).
The 16 turnovers were about the only thing Hurley was upset about within the end as the Huskies shot better than 56% overall and almost that well from 3-point range (11-20). R.J. Cole scored 18 to lead UConn, his 6th-straight game in double digits and had 13 plus nine boards in the first meeting with Creighton.
‘Jays 4-2 ATS Last Six as Underdog
Greg McDermott’s men got roughed up at Providence on Saturday in a 72-51 loss as the Friars clinched their first regular-season Big East crown. Providence led for all but the first couple of minutes to easily cash as 4-point chalk on college basketball odds board, and the Bluejays had two scoreless droughts in the second half totaling more than 10 minutes.
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Creighton can make its Saturday home date with Seton Hall meaningless with a win in this matchup against the Huskies. But since the Bluejays lost to the Pirates in New Jersey a month ago – and assuming Seton Hall doesn’t become Georgetown’s first Big East victim on Wednesday – Creighton could see its hopes to go dancing dashed with two losses to close the regular-season slate.
Losing Ryan Nembhard for the rest of the year with a wrist injury a week ago certainly isn’t going to help matters for the Bluejays. I’ll still take the home underdog with my free college basketball pick.
NCAAB Pick: Creighton +4½ (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
