The No. 10 Creighton Bluejays and the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats meet in the Maui Invitational championship on Wednesday night. Both schools are unbeaten and have looked like National Championship contenders so far this season.
Oddsmakers are expecting a close, high-scoring contest with college basketball betting odds installing the Wildcats as 2.5-point favorites with the Over/Under at 164. Here are my best free college basketball picks and predictions for Creighton vs. Arizona on November 23.
Creighton vs Arizona best odds
Creighton vs Arizona picks and predictions
The total for this game sits at a whopping 164 but given what these teams showed last night, I'm taking the Over.
The Bluejays have one of the most efficient offenses in the country and dropped 90 points yesterday despite turning the ball over 17 times — a massive outlier for a high-IQ squad that entered that contest averaging just 9.0 turnovers per game.
The Wildcats are outside the Top-300 schools in the country when it comes to opponent turnover rate and while they limited San Diego State to 70 points last night, the Aztecs had terrible ball movement and were ice-cold from long range.
The Bluejays pass the ball very well and shoot 37.6% from deep, which could pose problems for a Wildcats team that allowed Cincinnati to score 93 points and knock down 17 treys on Monday.
The Wildcats play at the fastest tempo in the country and managed to score 87 points last night despite just eight points on the fast break.
They were incredibly efficient in the half-court and should be able to run the floor today against a Bluejays squad that surrendered 87 points and got sucked into a free-flowing game versus Arkansas.
My best bet: Over 164 (-110 at DraftKings)
Looking to do some college basketball betting? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) New users at FanDuel can get a no-sweat first bet of up to $1,000! Sign Up Now
B) New users at DraftKings can bet $5 and get $200 in free bets! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only. Also, check out our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2022.
Creighton vs Arizona spread analysis
Arizona cruised to an 87-70 victory as a 2.5-point fave against San Diego State last night. That was the first real test of the season for the Wildcats and they passed with flying colors, shooting a sizzling 59% from the floor against a typically stingy SDSU defense.
They also looked good defensively by holding the Aztecs to just 38% shooting from the field, including just 15% from long range. The Wildcats had shown cracks on defense through their first four games but their dominant offensive play hid those flaws.
Arizona leads the country in both scoring (100.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (62.1%). While those numbers will surely dip once the Wildcats begin conference play, they have the talent and scoring depth to remain near the top of the country in both categories.
Creighton has also been terrific on offense and while the Bluejays score at a much lower rate (84.7 ppg) than Arizona, that's partially due to a slower tempo.
The Bluejays can shoot from every level and rank sixth in the nation with 120.1 points per 100 possessions. They held on for a 90-87 victory against No. 9 Arkansas last night and shot 58% from the floor against a Razorbacks team that had previously held foes to a 34.8 FG%.
Creighton lost a close game to eventual champion Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and that was with starting guard Ryan Nembhard and center Ryan Kalkbrenner sidelined by injuries. The Ryans are the two best players on the team and they both scored more than 20 points last night so an even deeper run could be in the cards for this March.
Creighton vs Arizona Over/Under analysis
I already mentioned why I liked the Over but if you like betting trends, the Over has also gone 4-1 in the last five games for both teams.
Arizona has an incredible six players averaging double-digits led by forward Azuolas Tubelis who is scoring 20.8 ppg on 74.1% shooting. Three other starters (Courtney Ramey, Oumar Ballo, and Kerr Kriisa) also average more than 15 ppg with Kriisa ranking 10th in the country with 7.2 apg.
Kalkbrenner does an excellent job of contesting shots at the rim but the Bluejays simply can't defend all the Wildcats' scoring options.
Thankfully for Creighton fans, the Bluejays might have the firepower to match them. All five of their starters average double-digits and because they have so many returning players in their rotation, they've been able to begin the season with already-established chemistry. The newest face in their lineup is transfer guard Baylor Scheierman, who was named Summit League Player of the Year last season and scored 20 points yesterday.
Creighton vs Arizona betting trend to know
The Bluejays are 8-0 ATS in their last eight neutral site games while the Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their previous five contests held on neutral ground. Find more College basketball betting trends for Creighton vs. Arizona.
Creighton vs Arizona game info
| Location: | Lahaina Civic Center, Maiu, HI |
| Date: | Wednesday, November 23, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 5:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
