The No.8-seeded Wagner Seahawks face the No.4-seeded Creighton Bluejays in the second round of the NIT tournament at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The game starts at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 19 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Bluejays dismantled Alabama 72-54 in the 1. Geoffrey Groselle played a pivotal role, recording 12 points and 14 rebounds to notch his fourth double-double this season. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-75 win against St. Bonaventure in the 1. Romone Saunders led the team in scoring by accumulating 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
James Milliken and Cole Huff have played at a high level over the last five games for the Bluejays. During that stretch, Milliken has averaged 18.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.6 three-pointers, while Huff has recorded 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers a game. On the other side, the Seahawks have been led by Michael Carey. He has been hot, averaging 18.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers in the same time frame.
Based on historical performance heading into this one, ball security could play a key role in the matchup. Creighton commits the 17th-fewest miscues in the nation (TO% of 16.2%), while Wagner’s pesky defense causes the fifth-most (opponents’ TO% of 21.2%). Moreover, the Seahawks are among the nation’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking fifth in OR% at 38.1%. But the Bluejays rank 14th at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 73.6%.
The Bluejays enter the game with records of 19-14 Straight Up (SU) and 19-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Creighton is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.32. Creighton’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Bluejays allow a .434 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country. Creighton will look to take advantage of the Seahawks and their propensity to foul. Wagner ranks 321st in the nation in fouls, averaging 21.7 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Seahawks have a record of 5-4 ATS and 23-10 SU. The Seahawks are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 40.1 rebounds per game. The Wagner defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .323 shooting from three-point range.
Creighton and Wagner will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wagner, ATS Winner – Wagner
Notes
“Creighton is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Creighton’s last 9 games at home”.
Ranked ninth, the Wagner Seahawks have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 95.5 points per 100 possessions. The Creighton Bluejays rank 62nd in offense, scoring 111.3 points in the same number of possessions.
On average, Creighton has 71.3 possessions per game and scores 1.113 points on each possession. Wagner has both fewer possessions (67.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.051).
The Creighton Bluejays average an effective field goal percentage of 53.7% this season. The Wagner Seahawks have a subpar record of 2-4 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.7% or greater.
Creighton ranks 58th in assists, registering 15.2 per game. Wagner performs worse at 171st with 13.4 assists per game.
Wagner, the 98th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.1 per game. Creighton does worse, ranked 198th with 3.2.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Wagner ranks ninth. Creighton ranks 40th in defensive rebounds.
Though Wagner is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 21.2% (ranked fifth), Creighton is undefeated (3-0) when its TO% is 21.2% or greater.
