Total Play For Big East Battle

UConn vs. Creighton, 8:30 ET

I hope everyone had a nice President's Day yesterday. Personally, I spent the day with my daughter at basketball practice, made a nice dinner, and then took her to volleyball. It was nice to unwind a bit after the craziness from the Super Bowl, to the lead up toward March Madness, to the daily grind. Sometimes it is nice to take a day off of everything - I literally didn't place a bet yesterday for the first time in a while. Part of it was just to make sure I still could go a day without it. Now, I'm back and I'm ready to tackle more college basketball as we have two ranked teams taking each other on with Connecticut taking on Creighton.

Connecticut, or UConn, is the best team in the country, and it really doesn't have many signs of slowing down any time soon. They play a complete game and really don't have too many holes. On the season, UConn is 24-2 and has a beautiful 14-1 record within the Big East. They have run off 14 straight wins, with their last loss coming against Seton Hall on the road. That was the first Big East game they played. Their other loss came against Kansas in Kansas, but it was a competitive game where they lost 69-65. They've been very dominant in this stretch, as you'd imagine from a 14-game winning streak, but there has only been one game that was a one-possession victory. That was a gain against Villanova, once again, on the road. Eight of their 14 wins during this stretch have been by 10 or more points. This weekend they played Marquette, a top-four team in the country in Connecticut and absolutely destroyed them, winning by almost 30 points. So, how does UConn do it? They have two very good guards that score consistently, but also rebound well and move the ball effectively. They have a strong center, and a stretch forward. I wouldn't call them a great outside shooting team, but they are decent enough where it works. 

Nov 22, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) slaps hands with Creighton Bluejays guard Steven Ashworth (1) after a play during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

The team that UConn plays tonight is no slouch in Creighton. Their team comes into this game with a 19-7 record overall. However, the conference play has been just okay in comparison to their overall record. Right now, they are 10-5 in the Big East. Their losses have come at home against Villanova, away against Marquette, at UConn, at home to Butler, and on the road against Providence. I'd say the only concerning loss in that five-game sample was against Providence. At least it came on the road, and, to be fair, it was an overtime loss. Actually, four of the five losses were close contests. They fell in overtime by two points to Villanova, five points to Marquette, one point to Butler, and four points to Providence. Creighton has a good scoring team. They have three guys that average 17 or more points per game. In addition, the have another guard that puts in 10.6 points per game. What I like most about their team is that they all seem to rebound. Limiting the opportunities that the opposition gets is a huge benefit for this team because they aren't particularly great at defense. 

UConn is due for a loss, right? I mean they've played really efficient basketball, but I'm not sure that this is a great spot for them, especially on the road. Creighton isn't really a team I want to back in this one either - they keep knocking on the door to win one of these close games, but I can't back them against the best team in the country. Instead, I'm going to take the over 144.5 in this game. If Creighton wins, I almost certainly think it is because the game is high scoring and they are hot. If UConn wins, I think Creighton still can put up 70 points or so in the game. I'll back the over.

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