Ohio Bobcats vs. Creighton BlueJays Preview

Ohio entered the NCAA Tournament as the number 13 seed after winning the MAC Championship in a thrilling fashion. The Bobcats stunned the Virginia Cavaliers by a score of 62-58 on Saturday and come into this game with a ton of momentum.

Creighton is the number 5 seed in the West, and they were able to survive an upset bid from UC-Santa Barbara in the first round. The Bluejays have spent most of the season as a top-15 team, and they provide a tough matchup for the Bobcats.

Ohio is a 5.5-point favorite on Monday, but they were underdogs on Saturday as well.

Ohio Played Some Defense in Round 1

The Ohio Bobcats are known as an explosive offensive team, but it was the defense that did the job in the win over Virginia. Ohio has given up over 72 points per game this season but held the Virginia Cavaliers to just 58 in the win.

Point guard Jason Preston showed the world of college basketball his skills on Saturday, and he will need to have another solid game on Monday. Preston leads the team with 16.3 points and 7.3 assists per game, and he makes the Bobcats go.

Ben Vander Plas was also clutch in the win over Virginia, and his three-point shooting could have a big effect on this game. Ohio is scoring over 80 points per game, and this matchup should allow the Bobcats to get going on offense.

Creighton Can Light it Up

The Creighton Bluejays are one of the best shooting teams in the NCAA Tournament, and this team will be launching shots from deep all evening. Creighton is averaging 76.5 points per game, and the Bluejays want to play this game in the 80s.

Point guard Marcus Zegarowski leads the team with 15.6 points and 4.5 assists per game, and he will be a tough matchup for Preston. Creighton has five different players averaging at least 10 points per game, and this is not an easy team to defend.

First Team to 75 Wins?

This should be an extremely high-scoring affair as both teams want to win games with their offense. Ohio is fine playing this style of basketball as most matchups in the MAC required them to score a ton of points.

Jason Preston and Ben Vander Plas have a chance to become household names with another win, and they will need to carry this offense. Creighton will continue to attack the Bobcats defense, and Ohio will need to guard the three-point line.

Ohio has what it takes to pull off another upset, and they should be able to keep this game within the spread at the very least.