The Creighton Bluejays take on the Villanova Wildcats in Villanova, PA. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Villanova is favored by 5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -250. The total is set at 143 points.
Here’s my Creighton vs. Villanova prediction and college basketball picks for January 7, 2026.
Creighton vs Villanova Prediction
My Pick: Under 139.5 (Play to 138)
My Creighton vs Villanova 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. Villanova Odds, Spread
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 143 -110o / -110u | +205 |
| Villanova Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 143 -110o / -110u | -250 |
- Creighton vs Villanova spread: Villanova -5
- Creighton vs Villanova over/under: 143 points
- Creighton vs Villanova moneyline: Creighton +205, Villanova -250
Creighton vs Villanova NCAAB Betting Preview
Creighton Basketball
Creighton comes into this one off of a heartbreaking road loss against Seton Hall on Sunday. The Bluejays led this game for 36 minutes and had a 14-point lead with 13 minutes left to play, but they only scored 11 points the rest of the way.
Doug McDermott credited the pesky Pirates defense, but he also pointed to a largely apathetic second-half performance, specifically in the final 10 minutes.
Creighton struggled shooting the ball from deep, a common theme this season in its losses.
I'll be interested to see if this group comes out disjointed after the result of its last game, or if it's locked in on both sides of the floor.
Defensively, Creighton has been really good at defending without fouling its opponent, forcing bad shots and not allowing those teams to finish at the rim.
Keeping Nova out of the paint and off the glass will really be important in this one.
Villanova Basketball
Villanova has had an impressive start in year one under Kevin Willard, as the Wildcats are 12-2 with the defense being the bright spot. Villanova ranks 25th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric and 68th nationally in turnover percentage, having really ramped up the defensive intensity.
Willard has varied his offensive operating tempo during his coaching tenure spanning 18 years, but this is the absolute slowest his teams have ever played. Nova ranks 352nd nationally in adjusted tempo.
Despite slowing the pace, Villanova has five players who average double-figure scoring, led by Bryce Lindsay at 17 points per game. Lindsay is the best 3-point shooter on a good 3-point shooting team featuring four players with at least 23 made treys.
The Nova defense isn't going to send you top the stripe frequently, and these guys really rebounded the ball well against Butler in their most recent outing on Saturday.
They shouldn’t have any trouble securing rebounds against Creighton, which is typically not a strong offensive rebounding team. If Nova can defend the 3-point line here as well as it has in recent games, it should win this affair.
Creighton vs. Villanova Betting Analysis
This line opened up Villanova -6.5 with a total painted 139.5. I like the under.
Nova exploded for 55 second-half points in its most recent contest against Butler, which resulted in one of the best offensive outputs for the Wildcats this season.
The game was trending to be much more low-scoring than the final score reflects, and Willard has shown that he wants this team to play slow. The Wildcats have played games with possession counts in the 50s three times this season, and they've had eight more with possession counts in the 60s.
I don’t think we'll see the pace increase in this game, and I expect very little in the way of fast break and second-chance points.
Creighton ranks seventh nationally in defensive shot selection, which is a metric that measures forcing your opponents into low-percentage or altered shots. Nova is going to have to be methodical on offense and the Bluejays are above average nationally when it comes to defending inside and beyond the arc.
Creighton has been a high-variance team this season, absent of a truly elite scoring threat.
I think the Bluejays 'recent uptick in tempo is more reflective of the opponents they've faced over the last two weeks, and I expect we'll see McDermott default to more half-court offense in a game I see playing at 63 possessions.
My Pick: Under 139.5 (Play to 138)
