The 8 vs. 9 matchups in the NCAA Tournament are always evenly-matched and that looks to be the case Friday evening from the South Region in Charlotte as No. 8 Creighton of the Big East is a slight College Basketball odds favorite over Kansas State of the Big 12.
Barry Brown averages 16.0 points per game and tops the club with 112 assists and 60 steals. The Wildcats average 72.4 points per game and surrender 67.9 per contest. KSU shoots 47.2 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from deep and 74.3 percent from the line. The Wildcats have been outrebounded by 3.2 caroms per contest.
Weber has guided K-State to the Big Dance four times in six seasons, but he has never advanced to the Round of 32. The Wildcats lost to LaSalle as a No. 4 seed in Kansas City in 2013, tumbled against Kentucky as a No. 9 seed a year later and were no match for Cincinnati as a No. 11 seed last year.
Creighton and Kansas State share just one common opponent this season, Baylor. Creighton went 0-1 against the Bears, while Kansas State went 2-0 against Baylor. K-State has played several high-scoring teams this season like Creighton, including Arizona State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU. Its record against those teams: 5-6.
College Basketball Odds for 2018 First Round: Creighton vs. Kansas State
When: Friday, 6:50 PM ET Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte TV: TNT Radio: 1620 AM (Creighton) / 610 AM (Kansas State) Opening College Basketball Odds: Creighton -1 (144.5)LET’S DANCE!
Creighton has earned a No. 8 seed with an at-large bid and will face No. 9-seeded Kansas State in the First Round of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in Charlotte! #GoJays #LetItFly #MarchMadness ⬇ MORE ⬇https://t.co/ac3Zh3kyKO pic.twitter.com/hmOPAYrBcK — Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) March 11, 2018
Why Bet on Creighton’s College Basketball Odds?
Creighton (21-11) finished tied for third in the Big East regular-season standings. It was one of 18 teams nationally with four (or more) wins over top-25 teams, including wins over ranked Villanova and Seton Hall clubs. The Bluejays are one of the highest-scoring teams in college basketball, ranking 10th nationally in points (84.3) and 11th nationally in field-goal percentage (49.7). They have topped 90 points in 10 games and reached triple digits in four. Creighton runs and runs at opponents and keeps on running until they’re worn out. The Bluejays have the ninth-fastest tempo in all of Division I. The Jays shot well from just about everywhere this season, but were especially prolific inside the arc — knocking down 59.4 percent of their 2-point attempts, the fourth-best rate in the country. Marcus Foster, a former K-State player, is averaging 20.3 points for the Bluejays. He led the Wildcats in scoring as a freshman and sophomore before Bruce Weber dismissed him from the team. Foster is the nation’s active leader in career field goals made and sixth with 2,162 career points. Khyri Thomas is Foster’s running mate. The 6-foot-3 junior is averaging 15.3 points. They both shoot 42 percent from three-point range. Thomas has scored in double-figures and made at least 50 percent of his shot attempts in 13 of CU’s last 14 games. Creighton more or less lives and dies by the 3, which is fine when you’re consistently getting good looks. Thirty-seven percent of the Bluejays’ points come from the perimeter. Creighton leads the series with Kansas State, 8-7, though the teams have not met since 1987. The teams have never played on a neutral floor, nor in the postseason.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 84.28
- Field Goals: 49.70%
- Three Points: 37.57%
- Free Throws: 74.71%
- Rebounds: 36.28
- Average Score Against: 74.22
- Field Goals: 43.27%
- Three Points: 32.90%
- Free Throws: 72.90%
- Rebounds: 35.19
Why Bet on Kansas State’s College Basketball Odds?
K-State (22-11) finished fourth in the Big 12. Kansas State wins with its defense. The Wildcats aren’t overly physical, but they do a good job managing screens and have a number of interchangeable parts to handle switches and avoid mismatches. What they lack in firepower the Wildcats partially make up for with the fifth-best steal percentage and 25th-best overall turnover rate in the country. Star Dean Wade missed the Wildcats’ Big 12 tournament game against Kansas with an injured left foot, but Bruce Weber says his star will be ready to face Creighton in the round of 64. While posting a surprisingly high assist rate (he recorded nine of them against Iowa State in February), the 6-foot-10 junior has scored with a high degree of effectiveness in the paint and also shot 44 percent on his occasional 3s. Wade leads K-State with 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range.
Barry Brown averages 16.0 points per game and tops the club with 112 assists and 60 steals. The Wildcats average 72.4 points per game and surrender 67.9 per contest. KSU shoots 47.2 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from deep and 74.3 percent from the line. The Wildcats have been outrebounded by 3.2 caroms per contest.
Weber has guided K-State to the Big Dance four times in six seasons, but he has never advanced to the Round of 32. The Wildcats lost to LaSalle as a No. 4 seed in Kansas City in 2013, tumbled against Kentucky as a No. 9 seed a year later and were no match for Cincinnati as a No. 11 seed last year.
Creighton and Kansas State share just one common opponent this season, Baylor. Creighton went 0-1 against the Bears, while Kansas State went 2-0 against Baylor. K-State has played several high-scoring teams this season like Creighton, including Arizona State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU. Its record against those teams: 5-6.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 72.36
- Field Goals: 42.71%
- Three Points: 34.44%
- Free Throws: 74.30%
- Rebounds: 30.61
- Average Score Against: 67.88
- Field Goals: 42.91%
- Three Points: 33.19%
- Free Throws: 74.15%
- Rebounds: 33.70
Latest March Madness Betting Trends
- Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games.
- Wildcats are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games.
- Kansas State is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big East.
- Bluejays are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 vs. Big 12.
- Bluejays are 32-13 ATS in their last 45 games following a ATS loss.
- Creighton is 28-16 ATS as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
