The Creighton Bluejays take on the Seton Hall Pirates in Newark, NJ. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Seton Hall is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -184. The total is set at 140.5 points.
Here’s my Creighton vs. Seton Hall predictions and college basketball picks for January 4, 2026.
Creighton vs Seton Hall Prediction
My Pick: Under 140.5 (Play to 136.5)
My Creighton vs Seton Hall best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Creighton vs. Seton Hall Odds
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -115 | 140.5 -110 / -110 | +150 |
| Seton Hall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -105 | 140.5 -110 / -110 | -184 |
- Creighton vs Seton Hall spread: Seton Hall -3.5
- Creighton vs Seton Hall over/under: 140.5 points
- Creighton vs Seton Hall moneyline: Creighton +150, Seton Hall -184
Creighton vs Seton Hall College Basketball Betting Preview
Creighton Basketball
Creighton is trending in the right direction at the right time. The Bluejays, who lost in an ugly fashion to Nebraska and Kansas State, have since bounced back to win four straight games.
How have the Jays gotten back on track? By improving their defense. They limited three of those four opponents to fewer than 1.00 PPP.
Since the Kansas State game, Creighton ranks 46th in defensive efficiency. It's done a great job defending inside, as teams are shooting just 46% from 2-point range against it in those four games.
Josh Dix, a player Greg McDermott brought in to be a scorer, is becoming the defensive connective tissue for Creighton. I'd imagine McDermott tasks Dix with defending the lightning-quick Adam "Budd" Clark.
A lineup change sparked the rise in defense, but it came at the expense of scoring. Three of the five starters are one-trick ponies.
Austin Swartz, one of the two guards in the lineup, is a pure shooter. Isaac Traudt, who starts at the five, is a 6-foot-10 sniper. Lastly, Ty Davis is an energy guy who plays limited minutes. McDermott will put point guard Nik Graves in fairly quickly.
The other two Creighton players are the only double-digit scorers, Dix and Jasen Green.
Creighton needs to get hot from deep to win on the road. The Bluejays shoot 3s on 47% of their field goals and hit at a 35% clip.
With all the 3s come very few free throws. Those would be nice to have with Seton Hall's defensive pressure.
Seton Hall Basketball
Seton Hall nearly lost to Marquette, but it strung together a huge comeback to win.
That comeback epitomized the this Pirates team. They're tough and defend their tails off, ranking 12th in defensive efficiency. Most of their defense is about pressure and staying in front of the ball-handler. That leads to a dazzling 23% turnover rate, a top-10 mark.
The Pirates also excel at limiting teams from scoring inside, holding teams to just 42.8% shooting from inside the arc (13th nationally).
If you're a top-15 team in those two categories, you're among the elite defenses in college basketball.
One of the weaknesses of Seton Hall's defense coming into the season was rebounding, but Stephon Payne is solving the problems. The Pirates standout center has 10+ rebounds in all three league games and snagged 13 against Marquette.
The question becomes, how can Seton Hall score when it's not doing so off turnovers? I don't quite have the answers. The Pirates rank 117th in offensive efficiency, while shooting 49.6% from the field (246th) and 33.3% from deep (192nd).
That makes the Pirates overly reliant on defense, leading to tons of close games.
Only two Seton Hall players average double-digit points: veteran guards AJ Staton-McCray and Tajuan Simpkins.
Clark, whom I mentioned earlier, is the most important offensive player on Seton Hall's roster. His ability to create plays in the lane is huge for the Pirates, and they'll need him to be a huge factor in this matchup.
Creighton vs. Seton Hall Betting Analysis
I have my eyes on the under here.
My only worry is Creighton getting hot from deep, but that's the only potential issue with the under.
Both teams are outside the top 220 in adjusted tempo, with Creighton at No. 222 and Seton Hall at No. 275.
Since Creighton limits turnover, it'll likely force Seton Hall to score in the half-court. The Pirates will struggle offensively, and that'll force this game into the 60s, which is a sweet spot for this to go under.
My Pick: Under 140.5 (Play to 136.5)
