The Maui Invitational got underway on Monday, featuring eight of the top teams in college basketball. The tenth-ranked Creighton Bluejays knocked off #21 Texas Tech in the first game, 76-65, and they will face ninth-ranked Arkansas, who ran Louisville out of the gym, 80-54, behind 26 points from Anthony Black. The other semifinal will feature #17 San Diego State, after the Aztecs knocked off Ohio State by 11, against #14 Arizona, who held off Cincinnati in a 101-93 barnburner. Check out our NCAA Basketball betting predictions for the two semifinal games from the tropics.
NCAA News: Top Basketball Bets for November 22
Creighton Bluejays (+2) vs Arkansas Razorbacks (O/U 141.5)
(8:00 pm ET, ESPN)
Something has to give in this matchup, as Creighton (5-0) and Arkansas (4-0) are both unbeaten. Against Texas Tech, Arthur Kaluma led Creighton with 18 points and also pulled down four boards. Trey Alexander chipped in 17 points and three assists, and Ryan Nembhart posted 16 points and two assists. On offense, the Bluejays score 85.5 points per game, and against Texas Tech, they shot 55.1 percent from the floor, including 45 percent from three-point land. On defense, they have only permitted 59.3 points per game, but Arkansas’ offense will be the best they have faced so far this season.
Arkansas faces a ranked opponent for the first time this season, and Anthony Black helped the Razorbacks get to the semifinals with an immense game inside and out, adding six assists to his 26 points. Ricky Council IV had 15 points, four steals, three boards and three assists, and Makhi Mitchell added a dozen points, six boards and three assists. Against Louisville, the team shot 56.9 percent from the floor but only made 36.4 percent of their three-point attempts. Creighton’s defense is impressive, they move the ball better, and they are shooting better. Getting them as an underdog is a gift. Creighton to cover.
San Diego State Aztecs (+1.5) vs Arizona Wildcats (O/U 162)
(10:30 pm ET, ESPN)
It took shooting almost 80 percent in the second half for Arizona to take down Cincinnati in the last first-round game from Maui. Azuolas Tibelis went 12 of 18 from the floor to score 30 points, pulling down 11 rebounds. Oumar Ballo had 21 points and ten rebounds, although he did miss five free throws. Cincinnati went 13 of 19 from downtown in the second half, but they never got closer than seven points after the intermission. Arizona is shooting 63 percent from the floor after four games, leading the nation, but they also give up a lot of primo shots.
The Aztecs rallied from a slot start behind 18 points from Matt Bradley, 15 points apiece from Micah Parrish and Lamont Butler, and 14 from Adam Seiko. Bradley would foul out with 2:53 remaining, but Dario Trammell made two free throws with 1:49 left. On the season, the Aztecs are putting up 81 points per game, and Jaedon LeDee is the team’s leading scorer. From three-point land, San Diego State is shooting 40.5 percent, and their perimeter defense has been effective, limiting opponents to 27.3 percent shooting from behind the arc. This is a game that should feature plenty of scoring, but the Aztecs have the better defense. San Diego State to cover.
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