The Creighton Bluejays (3-1) play the Massachusetts Minutemen (4-0) at MGM Grand. The game gets underway at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Bluejays come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Rutgers 85-75 on Tuesday. Cole Huff led all scorers on the team with 26 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The Minutemen, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-65 win against Clemson on Monday. Trey Davis had a solid game for Massachusetts, posting 25 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Creighton is favored by a small one-point margin in its matchup against Massachusetts. The matchup currently has a 160-point Over/Under (O/U). The Bluejays have gone 3-1 Straight Up (SU) and 1-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bluejays come into the game with the 34th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 86.5 points per game. Creighton is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47. The Bluejays have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking first in the country with a .470 opponent field-goal percentage.
Across the court, the Minutemen are clearly doing something right with a 4-0 record SU and 2-0 ATS so far. Massachusetts’s three-point defense has set the standard for the country, with opponents making a Division I-low 20 shots from the three-point line (5.0 per game).
This game marks the first time Creighton and Massachusetts have played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – UMass, ATS Winner – UMass, O/U – Over
Notes
Creighton is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games.
Massachusetts averages 81.2 points per game (ranked 88th). Creighton, on the other hand, allows 77.2 points per game (ranked 260th).
The Creighton Bluejays have the best defense in the country, giving up just 99.6 points per 100 possessions. The Massachusetts Minutemen have the 72nd-ranked offense, scoring 114.9 points in the same number of possessions.
Massachusetts has an average field goal percentage of 47.9%. Creighton is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Creighton Bluejays and the Massachusetts Minutemen both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Creighton is 34th and 25th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Massachusetts is 79th and 35th in these categories.
The Creighton Bluejays rank 25th in assists per game with an average of 18.8. The Massachusetts Minutemen are among the worst in the country with 15.2 assists per game (ranked 111th).
Creighton ranks 269th in offensive rebounds, while Massachusetts ranks 81st in defensive rebounds.
Massachusetts is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 17.0% (ranked first). Creighton is an even 1-1 SU when it has a TO% of 17.0% or greater.
