NCAA March Madness: Creighton Bluejays vs. Princeton Tigers betting preview, odds and predictions
In a 6 vs. 15 matchup in the South region of the NCAA Tournament, the Creighton Bluejays take on the Princeton Tigers for a spot in the Elite Eight. All tournament long, VSiN will be providing you with March Madness betting odds, in-depth team analysis and expert college basketball picks. Make us your one-stop shop for all of your betting needs.
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How to watch Creighton vs. Princeton
When: Friday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Louisville, Kentucky
Watch: TBS
Odds for Creighton vs. Princeton
Spread: Creighton -10
Total: 140.5
(Odds accurate as of Sunday, March 19th at 6:30 p.m. ET)
Real-time betting splits at DraftKings Sportsbook
South Region No. 6 Seed Creighton Bluejays
Creighton was a popular pick to win it all before the season started, but the team started just 6-6 this year. The Bluejays have, however, righted the ship at this point, and they have the talent in place to win a championship. Ryan Nembhard is one of the best point guards in all of college basketball, and Baylor Scheierman is a tremendous shooter on the perimeter. Creighton also has a good center in Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Trey Alexander and Arthur Kaluma are good wing players. All in all, this starting five is as good as any in the country. Creighton has also won two tough games already, defeating the NC State Wolfpack and Baylor Bears in their first two games.
South Region No. 15 Seed Princeton Tigers
Princeton is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, and the Tigers are going to battle as hard as possible against whoever they face. That’s what made this team such a hard team to beat throughout the course of the Ivy League season, and it has continued in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers shocked the world by beating the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the first round, and the team followed it up with a win over a solid Missouri Tigers team. Princeton plays the right way and is a confident bunch right now, but will that be enough against a loaded Creighton team?
Creighton vs. Princeton matchup analysis
This is the biggest spread of the Sweet 16 thus far and it’s sure hard to argue that it shouldn’t be. While the Tigers are a fantastic story, this Bluejays team presents all sorts of problems for them. For starters, one of the few strengths this Princeton team has is that the Tigers can really clean the glass. They’re eighth in the country in defensive rebound rate this season, but Creighton is 13th in that category. And neither of these teams will really hit the offensive glass that hard, so it’s almost a wash for the Tigers.
Princeton has also found great success in this tournament by simply playing the right way and playing hard. But Creighton does both of those things and happens to be a lot more talented. With that said, the Tigers aren’t going to beat them by simply being the more motivated team — which worked against their previous two opponents, who tend to have moments in which they lack discipline.
The reality in this game is that Creighton is borderline elite on both ends of the floor, and the team is strong at every position in the starting lineup. That will be very overwhelming for Princeton when these teams get out on the floor. Ryan Kalkbrenner could specifically be a tough player for the Tigers to figure out in this one. Princeton’s tallest starter is 6-foot-9, but Kalkbrenner stands at 7-foot-1. And while Princeton might think it can play a little faster and run him off the floor, that’s easier said than done. Kalkbrenner moves his feet really well for a guy his size.
We should also note that the Jays are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games. They’re hot at the right time, and they happen to have a fanbase that travels. So, it could get loud when Creighton starts hitting shots.
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