Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles have hit the gauntlet of Big East play, and aren’t faring too well as they pass through it. Heading into Saturday’s matchup with Creighton in Omaha, No. 11 Marquette has lost two straight, first to UConn at home last weekend, then to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. To make matters worse for the Golden Eagles, the Creighton Bluejays are red-hot.
Greg McDermott’s team has won eight straight games including Wednesday night’s road victory over Providence to get to 10-2 and remain in second place in the Big East standings. Creighton’s most recent loss was back on January 3, in Milwaukee to then-No. 8 Marquette.
Some early season struggles are keeping the Bluejays out of the top 25, but a win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon would not only keep them in contention for a regular season conference title but finally garner some national attention.
How to watch Marquette vs. Creighton
- Date: Saturday, February 8
- Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: CHI Health Center Omaha
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Marquette record: 18-5 (9-3)
- Creighton record: 17-6 (10-2)
Marquette vs. Creighton odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Marquette +105
- Creighton -126
Spread
- Marquette +1.5 (-106)
- Duke -1.5 (-114)
Total
- 144.5 (over -112/under -108)
Marquette injury report
- N/A
Creighton injury report
- Pop Isaacs, G: OUT (hip)
Creighton and Marquette series history
- Creighton all-time record vs. Marquette: 40-60
Marquette vs. Creighton prediction
With 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner in the middle, Creighton poses a unique challenge to every opponent, and that should worry a coach like Shaka Smart, who just watched his group get dismantled on the backboards by St. John’s. The Johnnies outrebounded Marquette 50-28 with 21 offensive boards in the 70-64 win, but surprisingly, even facing the most physically imposing threat in the Big East, the Golden Eagles should have more success inside.
Marquette is the worst defensive rebounding team in the Big East, but philosophically, Creighton just does not crash the offensive glass. The Bluejays are actually last in the Big East in offensive rebound percentage at 25.6%, while the Johnnies rank first, and the last time they played, Creighton finished with a mere three-rebound advantage in its loss to Marquette. The extra possessions in this one, are likely to go to the Golden Eagles.
While Kam Jones has been an efficient scorer, Smart’s group doesn’t have reliable half-court playmakers. Instead, most of their offense begins on the defensive end of the floor. The Golden Eagles force turnovers on over 20% of their opponent's possessions and give the ball away just 11.3% of the time. Creighton has the highest turnover percentage in the conference and forces the fewest percentage of turnovers of any Big East team.
Kalkbrenner is a dominant force, he scored 35 points the other night against Providence, and Steven Ashworth is an exceptional pick-and-roll partner for the big man. Still, Marquette will be able to force turnovers and get out in transition, so if Creighton doesn’t punish the Golden Eagles on the glass, they’ll break their two-game losing skid.