The Marquette Golden Eagles take on the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha, Nebraska. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Creighton is favored by -7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -350. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my Marquette vs. Creighton prediction and college basketball picks for December 20, 2025.
Marquette vs Creighton Prediction
My Pick: Lean Marquette ATS
My Marquette vs Creighton best bet is on the Golden Eagles to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Marquette vs. Creighton Odds
| Marquette Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 148.5 -110 / -110 | +275 |
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 148.5 -110 / -110 | -350 |
- Marquette vs Creighton spread: Creighton -7.5
- Marquette vs Creighton over/under: 148.5 points
- Marquette vs Creighton moneyline: Marquette +275, Creighton -350
Marquette vs Creighton College Basketball Betting Preview
Marquette Basketball
It's been a brutal season for Marquette, which has dropped three straight games and fallen to 5-7 on the campaign. Shaka Smart chose to be a lone wolf in this new era of college basketball, largely ignoring the transfer portal and betting instead on internal development and high school recruiting.
So far, that bet has looked like a major mistake.
Early on, it appeared senior Chase Ross had taken a significant leap as both a scorer and facilitator, similar to Kam Jones last season. However, during this current three-game losing streak, Ross has struggled mightily, averaging just 8.6 points per game.
Marquette ranks 266th nationally in effective field goal percentage at 48.2%, and there really isn't anything this team does particularly well offensively.
Like a typical Smart-coached team, the Golden Eagles want to run in transition when possible, and because the half-court offense can get ugly, they look far better when playing at a faster pace.
Defensively, Marquette does a good job at forcing long possessions, ranking inside the top 20 nationally in opponent average possession length. It's also respectable at forcing turnovers at 51st nationally.
The biggest issue is a lack of interior toughness.
Senior big man Ben Gold was pushed to the bench in the last game in favor of Royce Parham, and Georgetown seven-footer Julius Halaifonua took full advantage, pouring in 21 points and six rebounds while dominating the paint.
A 78-69 home loss to an undermanned Georgetown team was a brutal way to open Big East play.
Creighton Basketball
Like Marquette, Creighton is also enduring a down season, sitting at 6-5 overall.
Some regression was expected following the departure of Ryan Kalkbrenner and other key contributors, but the Bluejays have still underperformed expectations.
The season-ending injury to promising sophomore Jackson McAndrew a month ago was another significant blow.
That said, Greg McDermott’s group opened league play in impressive fashion, dismantling Xavier 98-57 at the Cintas Center. Miami transfer Austin Swartz — who wasn't much of a factor in November — has come on strong recently, exploding for 27 points while knocking down seven 3-pointers in the win.
The biggest disappointment for Creighton this season has been the underwhelming play of Owen Freeman.
Freeman looked like an All-Big Ten caliber player at Iowa, but he's struggled on both ends of the floor since arriving in Omaha.
The junior underwent knee surgery in the offseason, and it's difficult to separate his slow start from the lingering effects of that injury. Freeman is currently averaging just 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Despite the uneven results, Creighton still ranks inside the top 60 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency on KenPom.
The Bluejays are also 21st in the country in both 3-point attempt rate and assist rate.
Marquette vs. Creighton Betting Analysis
I've grown accustomed to watching Marquette and Creighton deliver two high-level games against each other every season, which makes it disappointing that both programs are struggling in 2025-26.
That said, it's not even Christmas yet, and there's plenty of time for both teams to improve.
After Creighton’s dominant win over Xavier, it's hard not to lean into some recency bias and back the Bluejays at home against a struggling Marquette squad. They definitely look capable of a top-five finish in the Big East.
I can't say the same for the Golden Eagles.
Still, I'm looking at Marquette with the points. I refuse to believe Smart has lost the locker room. This team is simply short on talent and has a glaring weakness on the interior.
With Freeman not playing at a high level right now, Creighton doesn't feel well-equipped to consistently exploit that weakness.
In a desperate spot for Marquette to deliver a strong effort, I think the Golden Eagles can make life difficult for Creighton’s guards.
This also sets up as a good opportunity for Ross, Nigel James Jr. and Sean Jones to use their quickness to get into the lane and get the offense flowing.
My Pick: Lean Marquette ATS (More Comfortable at +9)
