Teams trending in opposite directions clash on Saturday when the No. 19 Creighton Bluejays battle the Xavier Musketeers in a key Big East matchup. The Bluejays (16-7, 7-5 Big East), who have lost two in a row, are coming off a 91-87 overtime loss at Providence on Wednesday. The Musketeers (13-10, 7-5 Big East), who have won three in a row and six of eight, defeated Villanova 56-53 on Wednesday. Creighton is 5-3 on the road in 2023-24, while Xavier is 10-4 at home.
Tipoff from Cintas Center in Cincinnati is set for 12:30 p.m. ET. Xavier leads the all-time series 22-18, but the Bluejays posted an 85-78 win on Jan. 23 at Creighton. The Musketeers are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Creighton vs. Xavier odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 152.5. Before making any Xavier vs. Creighton picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 14 of the 2023-24 season on a 124-82 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $2,000 for $100 players. It is also off to a sizzling 20-9 start on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Xavier vs. Creighton and revealed its CBB picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Creighton vs. Xavier:
- Creighton vs. Xavier spread: Xavier -1.5
- Creighton vs. Xavier over/under: 152.5 points
- Creighton vs. Xavier money line: Creighton +106, Xavier -127
- CREI: The Bluejays have hit the game total under in 9 of their last 17 away games (+0.25 units)
- XAV: The Musketeers have hit the team total under in 12 of their last 22 games at home (+0.70 units)
- Creighton vs. Xavier picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Xavier can cover
Fifth-year senior guard Quincy Olivari, who is in his first season with the Musketeers, played his first four years at Rice. He is among Xavier's leaders, averaging 18.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals. Olivari is connecting on 44.1% of his field goals, including a blistering 45% from 3-point range, and 83.6% from the foul line. In an 83-68 win at DePaul last Saturday, he registered a double-double with 43 points and 10 rebounds, while adding three assists and three steals.
Sophomore guard Desmond Claude is also a solid scoring option for the Musketeers. In 23 games, all starts, he is averaging 16 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and one steal in 33.6 minutes of action. He has reached double-digit scoring in each of the past 10 games, including a 26-point performance in an 85-71 win over Butler on Jan. 16. He had 20 points, four rebounds and three steals in the loss at Creighton last month. See which team to pick here.
Why Creighton can cover
Fifth-year senior guard Baylor Scheierman is in his second season with the Bluejays after spending three years at San Diego State. In 23 games, all starts, he is averaging 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 36.3 minutes of action. He is coming off a 27-point and 12-rebound performance in the overtime loss at Providence. That was his ninth double-double of the season and third in three consecutive games. He scored 26 points and grabbed 11 boards in the 99-98 loss to Butler on Feb. 2.
Junior guard Trey Alexander has scored 18 or more points in each of the last five games, including a 27-point, nine-rebound and four-assist effort in the win over Xavier. He scored 18 points and dished out six assists with four rebounds in Wednesday's loss at Providence. He has two double-doubles on the season, the last coming Dec. 20 in a 68-66 overtime loss to Villanova. In that game, Alexander scored 16 points, while grabbing 15 rebounds. For the year, he is averaging 17.2 points, six rebounds, 4.7 assists and one steal in 36.5 minutes of play. See which team to pick here.
How to make Creighton vs. Xavier picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 151 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can see the picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Xavier vs. Creighton, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 20-9 roll on top-ranked college basketball spread picks.