Creighton at Georgetown Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

Posted by Kenny Bell on Tuesday,January 24, 2017 9:23, EDT in

Creighton slipped to No. 16 in the new Associated Press Top 25 on Monday as the Bluejays look to stay in the Big East Conference race when they visit a massively disappointing Georgetown squad in the nation’s capital on Wednesday night. Creighton lost senior point guard Maurice Watson Jr. , the nation’s leader in assists, to a season-ending injury two games ago and hasn’t looked quite the same since. The Jays will be solid NCAA basketball lines favorites here, though.

Creighton at Georgetown Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

When: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 PM ET
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
TV: None
Stream: School websites
Radio: Creighton / Georgetown
Opening NCAA Basketball Lines: Creighton favored by TBA

Why Bet On Creighton?

The Blue Jays (18-2, 5-2) played their first game without Watson on Saturday and lost 102-94 at Marquette. The Golden Eagles (13-6, 4-3) became the first team to reach the century mark against Creighton since 2008 and they had the most points by a CU opponent during a non-overtime game in 24 years. They shot 60 percent.

Watson was clearly missed. He was always the guy who huddled the team up, barked out orders and even challenged teammates who momentarily lacked effort. He was the loudest communicator on defense, shouting out his position on the floor and screaming out the significant movements by the opponent. He led the team in charges drawn. He was second in steals.

“Just the voice, defensively, that’s where (Watson) was missed most,” senior Isaiah Zierden said. “When we were giving up buckets, he would have grabbed us and told us to get a few stops. And we would have responded.”

Despite the loss Creighton has still matched its best record after 20 games in program history, last done in 2011-12. The setback overshadowed three strong offensive showings for Creighton. Marcus Foster had a season-high 30 points, Zierden had a season-high 15 points, and freshman Davion Mintz finished with season-highs of 17 points and eight assists after entering the contest with 22 career points and 10 career assists.

Zierden added five rebounds in 25 turnover-free minutes while earning the starting nod in place of Watson, who watched the game from the Bluejay bench on crutches. Creighton shot just 32.4 percent in the first half before coming back to shoot 64.7 percent after intermission.

The Bluejays are putting up 87.1 points per game (10th nationally) while shooting 52.8 percent from the  field (second nationally) and 40.6 percent from three-point territory (12th nationally).

Why Bet On Georgetown?

Georgetown is 10-10 this season, including a 7-5 mark at home. The Hoyas have wins over teams like Connecticut, Oregon and Syracuse. They come off an 86-75 loss at No. 22 Xavier. Georgetown rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to tie the game with nine minutes left, but could not hang on.

Hoyas graduate student guard Rodney Pryor scored 23 points, connecting on 10-of- 12 shots from the floor, to lead all players, adding four rebounds and two assists. Junior guard L.J. Peak finished with 12 points. Junior guard Jonathan Mulmore scored eight points and handed out a career-high eight assists.

Tied at 58-all with nine minutes left, Xavier’s Edmund Sumner hit a layup and then converted a conventional three-point play to make it 63-58. A jumper from Pryor made it 63-60 with 7:24 to play and a 3-pointer form senior forward Reggie Cameron II pulled GU to within 70-64 with 5:31 left, but that was as close as the Hoyas would get.

Pryor averages 18.0 points per game, while Peak isn’t far behind with 15.9 points per contest. Jessie Govan (9.0 ppg., 5.2 rpg., 1.0 bpg.) leads the Hoyas in rebounding and blocked shots. The Hoyas average 76.2 points per game and shoot 45.7 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range and 75.6 percent at the line.

John Thompson III (Princeton, 1988) is 274-143 in his 13th season at Georgetown, moving his career mark to 342-185 in 17 seasons overall. He is the son of legendary Hoyas head coach John Thompson. Creighton is 3-5 all-time against Georgetown, but winless in three previous trips to Washington, D.C., to meet the Hoyas. The teams split the series last season, with the home team winning each time.

Creighton at Georgetown Expert Pick: Creighton Blue Jays

Creighton has won all five road games this season, and with a win on Wednesday will produce a six- game win streak on the road for just the second time in more than 40 years. Take the Bluejays to do just that.