The No.2-seeded BYU Cougars (25-10) take on the No.4-seeded Creighton Bluejays (20-14) in the third round of the NIT tournament at Marriott Center. Action starts at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 22 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Cougars enter this game hoping for similar success after just getting past Virginia Tech 80-77 in the 2. With 18 points and 10 assists, Kyle Collinsworth recorded his 15th double-double this season. The Bluejays, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-54 win over Wagner in the 2. Geoffrey Groselle led the game in scoring by posting 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting.
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength, as the prolific offense of BYU (26th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 114.1) takes on the elite defense of Creighton (20th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 101.0). Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Bluejays ranks 35th in eFG% at 53.9%, while the Cougars are 13th-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (47.7%).
The Cougars have gone 25-10 Straight Up (SU) and 15-14-4 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cougars come into the game with the sixth-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 83.9 points per game. BYU has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 40.9 rebounds per game. The Cougars, sporting the 17th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.46), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Turning to the defensive side, the Cougars prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 10th in the nation with a .331 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range.
Across the court, Creighton has a SU record of 20-14 and an ATS record of 20-13. The Bluejays rank 27th in the country in scoring, averaging 79.6 points per game. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Bluejays. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.31.
Predictions: SU Winner – BYU, ATS Winner – BYU
Notes
Creighton averages 79.6 points per game (ranked 27th). BYU, on the other hand, allows 72.5 points per game (ranked 160th).
Creighton scores 74.6 points per away game (ranked 48th). BYU ranks a poor 127th in points allowed at home, allowing 68.8 points.
Ranked 20th, the Creighton Bluejays have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 101.0 points per 100 possessions. The BYU Cougars rank 26th in offense, scoring 114.1 points in the same number of possessions.
The BYU Cougars average 73.5 possessions and 1.141 points per possession in games this season. The Creighton Bluejays average fewer possessions with 71.2, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.117.
BYU has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.4%. Creighton is an underachieving 4-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the BYU Cougars attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Creighton Bluejays attempt 22.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, BYU has a solid 20-9 record, while Creighton is 14-13.
The 17th-ranked team in the category, BYU has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.46 this season. Creighton ranks 45th with an A/TO of 1.31.
Ranked 15th in the nation, BYU averages 40.9 rebounds per game. Creighton ranks lower at 118th with 37.1 RPG.
Creighton ranks 272nd in offensive rebounds, while BYU ranks at 10th in defensive rebounds.
On average, BYU forces a turnover rate of 17.9%, ranked 15th in the nation. When Creighton turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 7-4 record.
