The Sweet 16 of the men’s NCAA Tournament features the Creighton Bluejays, seeded sixth in the South Region, facing the Princeton Tigers, seeded 15th. They play at 9 p.m. EDT on Friday in Louisville, with coverage on TBS. Current college basketball odds for Creighton vs. Princeton have Creighton as spread favorites and moneyline favorites, with an over/under of .
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Creighton vs. Princeton Betting Odds
Below, bettors can find the best available Creighton vs. Princeton March Madness odds across legal U.S. sportsbooks. Use the dropdown in the top left to change from spread betting options to moneyline or wagers on the over/under.
Player prop odds for Creighton vs. Princeton will populate below once they become available, usually a day or so before tip-off. You will often find a wider spread of prices on small markets like player props, so it’s very important to shop for the best numbers. You can also use our prop finder tool and type in a player’s name.
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Creighton March Madness Futures
Princeton March Madness Futures
Creighton vs. Princeton Betting Insights
Offense vs. Defense Stats
For a look at the numbers when each team possesses the ball, plus more betting insights and key player notes, head to our March Madness stats post for this game.
Why Creighton Can Cover The Spread
Creighton has a similar team profile to Princeton but plays on a much higher level in the Big East. The more this particular NCAA tournament has rolled on, the better the Big East looks. As conferences like the Big Ten and Big 12 have stumbled, the Big East has ushered three teams into the Sweet 16. Certainly, the rebounding edge the Tigers enjoyed against Missouri — they went +14 there — shouldn’t be present here. Creighton lags only slightly behind in rebounding rate, ranking 50th.
Also, the weak point for Creighton thus far in the tournament has been in containing dynamic ball handlers off the bounce. NC State’s Terquavion Smith and Baylor’s LJ Cryer both had success attacking Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner off the bounce, exploiting his slower feet in perimeter situations. Princeton has a more egalitarian offense, and its top-scoring guards Ryan Langborg and Matt Allocco are more long-range gunners. The Tigers don’t have that sort of athleticism at their disposal. Creighton did great work defending the 3-point line all season. They ranked in the top 65 in both opposing 3s made per game, and rate of points the opposition got from deep.
Why Princeton Can Cover The Spread
Both of these teams profile as half-court attackers that will get into their sets and run their stuff, rather than turning over the opposition and running. This looks like it should be a slower-paced game as both teams rank among the bottom 20 in turnovers forced per possession. That will likely keep Creighton from going on big runs, the sort that help cover a large number like this one.
And thus far, Princeton has just not looked out of place at all against high-major competition in Arizona and Missouri. Their first matchup against the Wildcats was essentially a statistical draw, an impressive feat considering the stark difference in pedigree. And they soundly outplayed their fellow Tigers in the second round, outperforming them in three of the four factors. To the eye test, it absolutely has looked like Princeton belongs on the court with these teams. No flukey shooting or other good fortune has gotten them here. Staying within 10 of another top quality foe should be doable.
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Final Thoughts
This looks like a pretty good situation for Creighton, facing off with essentially their mid-major carbon copy. These teams have strikingly similar statistical profiles. They each bring balanced teams to the table that rebound and play conservative defense, while converting efficiently on offense. Given Creighton has the far superior talent level and a big-time coach in Greg McDermott, they should absolutely advance here, but the line reflects that. Their only clear weak point in the first two games was containing professional-quality guards off the bounce, but that shouldn’t be a major issue here.
One way to bet this game would be to look at under the total. Between the likely half-court nature of this game and the shooting nerves that have caught many teams so far in the tournament (including these two), a bonanza of points doesn’t look very likely.
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Mo Nuwwarah got his start in gambling early, making his first sports bet on his beloved Fab Five against the UNC Tar Heels in the 1993 NCAA tournament. He lost $5 to his dad and got back into sports betting years later during a 15-year run in the poker industry. A 2011 journalism graduate from Nebraska-Omaha, he combines those skills with his love of sports and statistics to help bettors make more informed decisions with a focus on pro football, baseball and basketball.
