Creighton vs Villanova Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 9 Big East Tournament (Defenses Dazzle Inside MSG)

Creighton vs Villanova Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Big East Tournament Game
• No. 24 Creighton (20-11, 14-6 Big East) vs. Villanova (17-15, 10-10 Big East)
• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Madison Square Garden -- New York City, New York
• Coverage: Fox Sports 1

The Big East Tournament continues on Thursday with a thrilling matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and Creighton Bluejays. Creighton has yet to win a Big East title, while Villanova has won six. The winner of this quarterfinal matchup will advance to face the victor of the DePaul vs Xavier game.

Villanova enters as a winner in four of its last five games following a dominant 80-48 victory over Georgetown in the first round. Meanwhile, Creighton has now won four of its last seven games thanks to an 84-70 victory over DePaul on Saturday.

Which Big East squad will advance to the semifinals? Let's do some digging and find out.

Creighton vs Villanova Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CREIGH: (-220) | NOVA: (+180)
• Spread: CREIGH: -4.5 (-120) | NOVA: +4.5 (-102)
• Total: 134.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Creighton enters this contest as a moderate favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 134.5 points, which is about average compared to Thursday's projected totals.

Creighton vs Villanova Betting Trends

• Creighton has 15 wins in 31 games against the spread this year.
• The Bluejays have an ATS record of 10-10 as 4.5-point favorites or greater.
• Creighton has seen 15 of its 31 games go over the point total.
• Villanova has 14 wins in 32 games against the spread this season.
• The Wildcats are 5-1 as 4.5-point underdogs or more.
• Villanova has played 32 games this season, and 15 of them have hit the over.

Creighton Rank	Creighton AVG		Villanova AVG	Villanova Rank
58th	76.8	Points Scored	69.8	222nd
117th	67.9	Points Allowed	67.3	99th
32nd	35.0	Rebounds	29.1	310th
257th	7.7	Off. Rebounds	6.0	341st
37th	8.9	3pt Made	8.7	52nd
25th	15.8	Assists	11.1	324th
93rd	11.0	Turnovers	9.6	16th

Creighton vs Villanova Prediction & Pick

Villanova may not be dominating the Big East conference like it has in years past, but it is playing its best basketball of the year when it matters most. The Wildcats have earned two notable victories over ranked teams in the last few weeks, including a decisive 79-67 win over Creighton on Feb. 25.

While this one is going to come down to the wire, Creighton should win thanks to its ability to keep its opponent away from the charity stripe. The Bluejays commit only 13.1 fouls per game (No. 2 in NCAA) and give up just 12.5 opponent free throws per game (No. 3 in NCAA). That will make a huge difference.

Creighton has won 14 of its last 17 games as a favorite, so back the Bluejays to advance tonight.

Final Score Prediction: Creighton: 67 | Villanova: 64

Creighton vs Villanova Best Bet

No one should be expecting a barnburner here. Villanova ranks 329th in possessions per game (66.6) this season and will do whatever it can to slow the game down. On the other side, Creighton allows an opponent shooting mark of 42.0% (No. 67 in NCAA), so it shouldn't be afraid to rely on its defense.

The total has hit the under in nine of Villanova's last 13 games overall and in six of its last eight games as an underdog. The under has also cashed in seven of the last 10 games between the Wildcats and Bluejays. Look for the offenses to take some time to get into a rhythm early on in a defensive battle.

Bet: UNDER 134.5 Total Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.