Creighton vs Gonzaga: 2021 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule, odds

Creighton is the next team up in the challenge to defeat the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs. Do the Bluejays have what it takes?

TV schedule: Sunday, March 28th, 2:10 pm ET. CBS

Arena: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana

Line (via Odds Shark): Gonzaga (-13)

Although not as crazy as the Midwest, the West Region of the NCAA Tournament has seen its fair share of big upsets as well. In fact, only one of the top four seeds in the bracket remains as we make it here to the Sweet 16. That one, however, is THE one in the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The top storyline in the Big Dance remains the unbeaten Bulldogs, now at 28-0 after wins over Norfolk State and most recently, Oklahoma. After a slow start, Gonzaga roared back to take a double-digit lead to halftime and kept it that way, beating the Sooners, 87-71.

Drew Timme was the star of the show, going for a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds while making 12/14 from the free throw line. Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs each had 16 points, while Joel Ayayi had 12 points and eight rebounds. It’s been 25 straights double-digit wins and they remain the favorite to win the national title.

Their next opponent is Creighton (22-8), the No. 5 seed in the West Region. They nearly lost in the first round to UC-Santa Barbara but bounced back to take care of 13 seed Ohio in the Round of 32. All five starters were in double figures in the Bluejays’ 72-58 victory, led by 20 points from point guard Marcus Zegarowski. Christian Bishop had 12 points on 6/7 shooting and also brought down 15 rebounds.

Creighton has gotten past a pair of mid-major threats in the NCAA Tournament and an off-the-court situation involving head coach Greg McDermott that could’ve easily derailed their season. However, Gonzaga is a completely other problem to solve. The Bluejays have a very good offense, averaging over 76 ppg and all five starters averaging in double figures. However, Gonzaga is No. 1 at 93 ppg and has three All-Americans to contend with (Suggs, Kispert, Timme).

The biggest problem for Creighton will be how they defend Timme. None of their starters are bigger than 6’7 and Bishop will have a tough time against him inside. And double-teaming arguably the best passing team in the country in Gonzaga is a death sentence.

This will be a fun high-scoring battle, as both teams will prefer this to be a fast-paced game. But Gonzaga simply does it better than Creighton, and that’ll project in the final score.

Prediction: Gonzaga 91, Creighton 76