Creighton vs. Butler Odds

The Butler Bulldogs look to hop on a three-game win streak for the first time this season as they travel to challenge the Creighton Bluejays.

On Thursday night, Creighton suspended head coach Greg McDermott from all team activities after he made racially charged comments to his locker room. McDermott has owned up to those comments in a tweet saying, “I made a mistake and I own it. Mistakes come with consequences, and I accept and agree with the suspension.”

The Bluejays have dropped their last two games to Xavier and Villanova and are locked into the 2-seed in the Big East tournament regardless of the result in this game. 

Butler, meanwhile, is a team that no one wants to face early in the conference tournament. It comes into this game having beaten Seton Hall and Big East leader Villanova last time out.

The 73-61 win over Villanova was the best game that the Bulldogs have played all year. Butler reversed the roles in that game by hitting 10-of-24 shots from behind the arc. More impressively, it held Villanova to just 2-of-27 from 3 for 7.4%.

The Bulldogs are beginning to show some bite and are a threat to upset anyone in the Big East Tournament next week.

When Creighton has the Ball

It will be senior night for Creighton in its final home game of the season, when it's gone 10-3 this season. The Bluejays start two juniors and three seniors who will be recognized before the game.

Creighton returned five of its top six scorers from last season and has looked to lean on that experience heading toward tournament time. 

Creighton is a well-rounded bunch that has five players who average in the double digits.

The leader of this team is point guard Marcus Zegarowski, who has averaged 14.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He was an All-American last year and has kept this team on top of the Big East for the majority of the year.

The Jays' offense is one of the most efficient in the conference, scoring 108.7 points per every 100 possessions, according to KenPom. They shoot 55.8% from inside the paint, which is best in the Big East, but it grabs fewer offensive rebounds than any other team. 

The Bluejays didn’t shoot the ball great last time out, connecting on just 38.7% of their field goal attempts and hitting 10-33 from behind the arc. Villanova went wire-to-wire with Creighton, winning 72-60 even after losing its leading scorer in Collin Gillespie.

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When Georgetown has the Ball

It’s been a disappointing season thus far for coach LaVall Jordan, who has his Bulldogs team at 9-13 on the season.

They have begun to show some spark in the last few games and are looking to carry that momentum into the season finale against Creighton.

Butler has been relying on its defense this season, allowing just 66.4 points per game in conference play, good for second in the Big East. Over the last four games, it's held opponents to just 15-of-91 (16.5%) from behind the arc. It completely locked down one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country in Villanova by holding it to just 2-of-27 shooting from 3-point range. 

Chuck Harris was phenomenal in his last game, scoring 20 points and adding five rebounds and 4 assists while hitting 4-of-9 from 3-point range. That performance was enough to earn him the Big East Freshman of the Week. Seniors Jair Bolden and Bryce Nze join Harris in averaging double figures this season. 

Butler already defeated Creighton earlier in the year, pulling out a 70-66 overtime victory. The Bulldogs led by seven at halftime before Creighton caught fire and went on a 26-3 run to begin the second half.

The Bulldogs showed some grit and ended the game on a 17-3 run in order to send the game to overtime and secure the victory.

The games on Saturday will have some implications for where Butler will be seeded in the postseason conference tournament. The Bulldogs can enter the Big East Tournament anywhere from a 7-10 seed but are looking to enter the tournament with their third win over a top-10 team this season.

Betting Analysis & Pick

Creighton seems to be heading in the wrong direction at the wrong time as we approach conference tournaments. McDermott’s distractions have not helped this program, and it seems to be trending in the wrong direction after dropping its last two games. 

Butler is a feisty team that has a lot of heart and wants to keep its win streak alive heading into tournament play. The Bulldogs believe they can compete with anyone in the country as they’ve beaten both Creighton and Villanova this season. 

With Creighton missing its coach among all the distractions and it being locked into the 2-seed, I see it coming out flat in this game. I’m backing the Bulldogs and hope they have a little more bark left in them.

Pick: Butler +13 (down to +12).