Big East basketball continues on Wednesday night, as the Seton Hall Pirates visit the seventh-ranked Creighton Bluejays. Seton Hall (8-4, 5-1 Big East) is almost perfect in conference play, with the exception of an overtime loss to Providence at home back on December 20. Since then, they have beaten Georgetown, Xavier and Butler, knocking off the Bulldogs by eight on Saturday. Creighton (8-2, 4-1 Big East) lost to then-#5 Kansas by one back on December 8, and their only loss since then came in their Big East opener, at the hands of Marquette. They edged Providence on the road, 67-65, on Saturday.
Let’s take a look at your best college basketball betting choice for Wednesday’s game.
NCAAB: Seton Hall at Creighton (January 6)
When: Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 9:00 pm ET
Where: CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
TV: FS1
Radio: No National Radio
Live Stream: FOX Sports GO
NCAAB Odds: Creighton -7.5
Why should you bet on the Pirates?
Sandro Mamukelashvili led Seton Hall with 24 points in a gritty win over Butler, although he also turned the ball over five times. The Pirates had built a significant lead before Butler started clawing back. Butler actually jumped out to a 20-13 lead, but then Seton Hall went on a 21-5 run to close the first half with a nine-point lead. With about 11 minutes left in the second half, Butler got three straight three-balls to get within a point before Shavar Reynolds knocked down a three-pointer for Seton Hall.
In the last five minutes, Mamukelashvili, Bryce Aiken, Reynolds, Myles Cale, Tyrese Samuel and Jared Rhodan all made baskets for the Pirates, while Butler started to make some key mistakes, including a turnover and a clanked free throw. Rhodan would add 19 points for the Pirates. Mamukelashvili is the player who causes the most matchup problems in the Seton Hall lineup because of his combination of height and speed. That problem could give Creighton fits, although the Bluejays have worked through other matchup issues this year.
Why should you put your money on the Bluejays?
Creighton also had to hold off a late rally to get the win in their last game, edging Providence by a bucket. Christian Bishop’s emphatic dunk with 0.8 seconds remaining in regulation provided the game’s final margin. Marcus Zegarowski assisted on the dunk and nailed six shots from downtown, scoring 20 points on the night. Damien Jefferson added 18, a season best, making it eight games in a row in double figures. Marcus Ballock chipped in 14 points.
With about seven minutes left in regulation, Creighton had a 13-point lead. However, Providence came all the way back to tie it with seven seconds left, on a layup by Noah Horchler, and the Bluejays went ice cold down the stretch, eventually shooting just 43 percent from the floor. This was only the third game in which Creighton failed to make it to 70 points. The defense played stout ball, holding Providence to just 34 percent shooting. The Bluejays double-teamed Providence center Nate Watson, keeping him to just three shots. Providence only had ten points in the lane in the first half. The balanced scoring that Creighton has ended up paying off — but just in the nick of time.
Final Score and Prediction
Seton Hall is just another tough team in a loaded Big East slate. Creighton will have their hands full with Mamukelashvili, and if they go cold from the floor down the stretch again, they may not pull off the win this time. Seton Hall has had a better season so far than Providence has, but I think Creighton rights their ship and finishes the job with a little less drama this time. I predict a final score of Creighton 76, Seton Hall 71.
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