Creighton battles Alabama in the 8-9 game in the Midwest Regional Friday night but Madness bettors do not remember Creighton fondly.
The Jays has been one-and-done the past four Madnesses and are 0-4 ATS in those first-round losses. However, any interesting trend in 8 vs 9 matchups has the underdogs rolling to a 14-4 ATS in the past 18 games between these middle seeds.
The Blue Jays, who earned their way into the tournament by winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, are getting a point and a half from the Tide, who received an at-large bid after taking fifth place in the SEC.
The total has been bet up to 110 from 108 at Sportsbook.
This game is being played at a neutral-site court (Greensboro Coliseum).
The Bluejays sport records of 28-5 and 15-14 ATS heading into this battle, while the Crimson Tide have 21-11 and 13-15 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 15-13-1 for the Bluejays and 15-13 for the Crimson Tide.
View Alabama vs Creighton Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Bluejays at No. 105 and the Crimson Tide at No. 30 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 79-75 result in favor of the Bluejays.
How They Match Up:
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Creighton's No. 90-rated squad against Alabama's No. 130-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Creighton rates No. 25 in the country with 8.2 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 338 nationally with 4 per match.
Defensively, Alabama features the nation's No. 22-rated defense on the road, allowing 62.7 points per game. Creighton, meanwhile, comes in at No. 6 nationally in scoring at home.
Alabama was a 66-63 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Florida. They covered the 4-point spread as underdogs. Alabama got 22 points and 10 rebounds from JaMychal Green in a losing cause in their 66-63 loss to Florida on Friday.
Creighton was an 83-79 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Illinois State. They failed to cover the 6-point spread as favorites. The Bluejays used a 33-point performance from Doug McDermott to help Creighton smack Illinois State 83-79 on Sunday at Scottrade Center.
Alabama Crimson Tide Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
After playing Florida are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5
Creighton Bluejays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
After playing Illinois State are 6-4
After a win are 9-1
A few Crimson Tide at Bluejays trends to consider:
Creighton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Creighton's last 8 games
Creighton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
