The Creighton Bluejays take on the Providence Friars in Providence, RI. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Creighton is favored by 1 point on the spread with a moneyline of -115. The total is set at 162.5 points.
Here’s my Creighton vs. Providence prediction and college basketball picks for January 16, 2026.
Creighton vs Providence Prediction
My Pick: Creighton ML -115
My Creighton vs Providence best bet is on the Bluejays to win outright. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Creighton vs. Providence Odds
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 162.5 -110 / -110 | -115 |
| Providence Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 162.5 -110 / -110 | -105 |
- Creighton vs Providence spread: Creighton -1
- Creighton vs Providence over/under: 162.5 points
- Creighton vs Providence moneyline: Creighton -115, Providence -105
Creighton vs Providence College Basketball Betting Preview
Of all the games to preview, I picked a doozy. It's early in the season, but the Big East is already a mess. That's bound to happen. A lot of years teams struggle in the first month of conference play, adjusting both to familiar rivals and the tall task of true road environments.
This weird edition of the Big East has bucked that thinking. St. John's blew a big lead and lost to Providence at home. Villanova lost to Creighton at home. Creighton got blown out by St. John's at home. Seton Hall has two conference losses, both at home.
Overall, home teams in Big East games are winning just 45.7% of games, fourth-lowest among Division I leagues.
Creighton and Providence have been two of the less reliable teams in the Big East, finding themselves clawing for a chance to sniff the bubble at season's end.
Creighton Basketball
Creighton's basketball program remains a math problem in the hands of its head coach, Greg McDermott. The Bluejays lead the Big East in percentage of points via 3-point shots, while allowing the highest percentage of points via 2-point shots, just as they did last season.
In 2024-25, Creighton led the entire country in 2-point scoring allowed, while taking the eighth-highest rate of deep shots.
The math is pretty simple: You shoot your 2s, and we'll take our 3s and see what happens.
That math also made a lot more sense when Ryan Kalkbrenner — four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year — was protecting the rim and forcing every opposing 2-pointer to either go over his head or come from the mid-range.
In each of Kalkbrenner's DPOY seasons, Creighton ranked in the top 10 nationally and led the Big East in furthest average 2-point shot, per KenPom.
This season, Creighton ranks 78th in the country in that stat (while still leading the Big East).
Life without Kalkbrenner isn't easy. Creighton's defense is designed to funnel drivers into a rim protector. The Bluejays have rarely forced turnovers under McDermott, nor fouled opposing players, but when you remove the threat of blocked shots and make everything in the paint a little easier, the house of cards tends to crumble.
The math can still make sense, yet there are cracks. If Creighton goes cold, losses will pop up. When the Bluejays shot 6-of-27 at Seton Hall, they lost to a Pirates team that made just 2 treys in the game. When facing a team built to drive and operate in the mid-range — like St. John's — the defense can't hold its weight.
Providence Basketball
Providence was 7-4 on December 12, having yet to start Big East play. Wins over Penn State and Rhode Island didn't exactly make for an eye-popping resume, but the Friars also only lost to top 100-ranked power-conference teams.
Since then, Providence has ridden a log flume towards the basement, losing five of six. The one moment of joy came in a comeback, upset win over St. John's at Madison Square Garden.
The good news: There are reasons for optimism, if you squint. Four of those five losses came by five points or fewer, two of them after regulation, including a 2OT loss at Butler.
The Friars gave Villanova, Creighton and Seton Hall very competitive outings, indicative of Providence facing the second toughest Big East schedule to date.
Relief is coming, with no games against the Big East's bottom feeders of Marquette, DePaul and Georgetown played yet this season.
On the other hand, Providence's inconsistency led to a blowout loss at Xavier, a team with no NCAA Tournament chances.
Providence's issues are on the defensive end of the floor. A Big East worst 38% 3-point shooting allowed might regress to the mean, though I'm skeptical.
Watch a Providence game and you'll see the makes the Friars are allowing aren't luck. This team routinely gives up wide open jumpers, notably doing so to some of the best shooters in the conference.
Jovan Milicevic, a 43% shooter in his career, made 4-of-5 from deep for Xavier against Providence. Freshman UConn shooter Braylon Mullins found 10 (!) 3s to take against Providence, making six of them.
The defense is a major issue. Providence has held just two power-conference opponents under 1.0 points per possession this season in 11 tries.
Creighton vs. Providence Betting Analysis
I don't like picking against Providence on its home floor, where the Friars have always been successful. I also don't love picking against a Friars team that's been outperforming its record and is due for a win.
But I also don't trust Providence head coach Kim English at all and fully expect McDermott to win the X's and O's battle handily in this game. Creighton wants to shoot a ton of 3s. The Bluejays are in luck — Providence loves to allow 3s, including open looks.
Creighton might go cold, and even an ugly chunk of the game could swing things in Providence's favor, yet I expect the Bluejays to shut down their opposition by the end of the matchup.
My Pick: Creighton ML -115
