4:05 pm
February 23

#21 Butler @ #15 Creighton

Who will WIN this matchup?

#21 Butler Bulldogs (19-8)

@ #15 Creighton Bluejays (21-6)

 

Current odds:

#21 Butler Bulldogs: (+200)

#15 Creighton Bluejays: (-240)

 

The line for this game is Creighton by 5.5 points.

Creighton is surprisingly only one game out of first place in the Big East, and its ability to beat the best the conference has to offer is a big reason why. The 15th-ranked Bluejays attempt to earn four wins against ranked opponents in the same month for the first time in school history Sunday when they host No. 23 Butler. Picked to finish seventh in the 10-team Big East prior to the season, Creighton has played every bit like a team ready to make a deep run in March over the last month, overcoming a 2-3 start in conference play by winning eight of its last nine. The Bluejays became the only team in the country to defeat three Top-25 foes on the road – all in February – following Tuesday’s 73-65 at No. 19 Marquette after beating No. 13 Villanova and No. 14 Seton Hall earlier in the month.

Butler knocked off Creighton on Jan. 4 as part of their 15-1 start, but they it has been a virtual tailspin ever since, dropping seven of 11. That frustrating stretch continued Wednesday when Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili hit an off-balance shot in the lane as time expired to send Butler to a 74-72 defeat.

Kamar Baldwin (team-high 16.3 points) led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 11th time in the last 14 games Wednesday with 20 points and ranks third in the conference with 18.4 points per game during league play. Sean McDermott (11.9 points, team-high 57 3-pointers) buried three triples, including two in the final 30 seconds to tie the game at 72-72, to move into sole possession of seventh place on the school’s all-time list with 192. Aaron Thompson (6.8 points, team-high 4.9 assists) returned from a one-game absence due to a concussion and contributed 12 points. Despite matching his turnover total from the previous four games combined (two), the junior guard has 21 assists versus only four turnovers over his last five outings.

Ty-Shon Alexander (team-high 16.9 points, 5.3 rebounds) poured in 22 points Tuesday and is averaging 18.5 points while shooting 32-for-80 beyond the arc in his last 11 games; over that same stretch, the North Carolina native owns a 32:9 assist-to-turnover ratio and has accumulated 15 steals. While Alexander (198) is set to become the ninth Bluejay to drain at least 200 3-pointers in his career, fellow junior guard Mitch Ballock (220) ranks fifth on the same list and needs only two more triples to break the program’s single-season record of 82. Since his 1-for-10 effort from the field in a loss to Providence on Feb. 5, sophomore point guard Marcus Zegarowski (15.8 points, team-high 5.1 assists) is shooting 59 percent from the floor.

Creighton can tie a single-season program record with a fifth straight regular-season Big East victory with a win on Sunday.

Butler is one victory shy of reaching 20 wins for the 20th time in the last 24 seasons.

The Bluejays have led at halftime in each of the last 12 games (9-3). The last time they trailed at the break was in their first meeting at Butler.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#15 Creighton Bluejays