The Creighton Bluejays take on the Villanova Wildcats in Philadelphia, PA. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
Villanova is favored by 2 points on the spread with a moneyline of -142. The total is set at 143.5 points.
Here are my Creighton vs. Villanova predictions and college basketball picks for February 1, 2025.
Creighton vs Villanova Prediction
My Pick: Villanova -2
My Creighton vs Villanova best bet is on the Wildcats spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Creighton vs Villanova Odds
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -112 | 143.5 -108 / -112 | +120 |
| Villanova Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -108 | 143.5 -108 / -112 | -142 |
- Creighton vs Villanova spread: Villanova -2
- Creighton vs Villanova over/under: 143.5 points
- Creighton vs Villanova moneyline: Villanova -142, Creighton +120
- Creighton vs Villanova best bet: Villanova -2
Spread
I'm backing the Wildcats to cover as short home favorites.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the over/under.
My Pick: Villanova -2
Creighton vs Villanova College Basketball Betting Preview
I think it’s time to sell some Creighton stock after the Bluejays have rattled off six straight victories to put themselves comfortably in the NCAA Tournament field (96% chance of an at-large, per Bart Torvik).
The Jays have started to play better basketball recently, but four of those six victories came against DePaul, Butler, Seton Hall and Providence, with a few of those teams also dealing with key injuries.
Their other two wins are much more impressive against UConn and Xavier, but the Huskies are a bit of a mess right now, and they caught the Muskies in a tremendous situational spot.
The bottom line is that I’m still not entirely sold on this Creighton squad.
While Creighton has covered five straight games, Villanova comes in on the opposite end of the spectrum, failing to get to the window in five consecutive contests and losing four of five straight up.
As a result, this is a bit of a buy-low spot for the desperate Wildcats, whose tourney lives are on life support (12.5% at-large chance, per Bart Torvik).
Without this win, the plug will be hanging out of the outlet, so I’d expect maximum effort after more than a week off since dropping two straight.
From a matchup perspective, Creighton will get its 3s up against a vulnerable Villanova defense that goes underneath everything on the perimeter.
Could that backfire in a matchup of one of the heaviest 3-point-attempt offenses against a defense that ranks 335th in 3-point rate allowed? Absolutely.
That’s precisely what happened in the first meeting, when Creighton hit 14-of-25 from distance. If that happens again, it’s probably lights for Villanova, but the Jays are probably due for some shooting regression from beyond the arc after starting league play at 38%, with their big men shooting way over their heads.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a tough shooting night.
Additionally, Villanova does a solid job of preventing opportunities at the rim, ranking in the top 25 nationally in near-proximity-attempt rate allowed, which is critical when defending against Ryan Kalkbrenner.
On the other end of the floor, it’s all about stud Eric Dixon, who has torched the KalkDrop defense in the past, clearing 20 points in each of the past six meetings vs Creighton, including 32, 25 and 27 in the most recent three matchups.
Against this Creighton defensive scheme, you have to hit mid-range jumpers. No team has allowed a higher frequency of attempts from the mid-range than the Jays.
Fortunately for Nova, its offense is reasonably efficient in that regard.
Don’t expect many turnovers, fouls or second-chance opportunities in a game that will likely come down to who can make more jumpers.
I’ll take my chances with the Wildcats (who rank 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency) at home in a good situational spot, with Dixon hopefully going off again to close it out down the stretch and earn a regular season split with Creighton for the sixth consecutive season.
