Creighton Blue Jays vs. No. 12 Xavier Musketeers January 11 Betting Preview

The Creighton Blue Jays will once again try to land their first victory in a true road game this season when they take on the Xavier Musketeers in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Creighton enters the game with an 0-3 record in true road games on the season following their loss against Connecticut in Storrs over the weekend. 

Wednesday’s contest is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m tip-off from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. The Blue Jays enter the game as a road underdog by a spread of +2.5 with a total set at 152 points. The home Musketeers are juiced on the moneyline at (-148), while Creighton is paying out at (+120) to win the game straight up. 

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Sean Miller’s team enters the game as one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won nine consecutive games, including an eight-point victory over Villanova on the road last weekend. 

The Musketeers once again deployed a well-balanced and very efficient offense to defeat the Wildcats by a final score of 88-80. Forward Zach Freemantle and guard Souley Boum combined to score 51 points for Xavier on 17-25 from the field. Boum only attempted eight field goals but was a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe.

The Musketeers are establishing themselves as one of the most potent offenses in the country this season, thanks to their tremendous depth. 

Coach Miller’s club is currently seventh in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency as they continue to rack up games where they average better than 1.10 points per possession. Saturday was another example of that offense, as they put 1.17 points per possession on the scoreboard against the Wildcats. 

Creighton had been on a three-game roll prior to their loss to Connecticut over the weekend. The Blue Jays welcomed back their leading scorer Ryan Kalkbrenner who also happens to be last season’s defensive player of the year in the Big East. The result was a return to the type of play that made them a preseason favorite to not only win the Big East but also make a run to the Final Four.

Kalkbrenner had moments against Connecticut but was not his typically effective self. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the fact that the Huskies have a lot of front-court depth in Adama Sanogo, Alex Karaban, and Donovan Clingan.

 Star wing scorer Trey Alexander also struggled in the game against the Huskies on the road, which is starting to become a trend. In three true road games this season, Alexander is averaging just 6.33 points per game while shooting 5-28 overall from the floor. 

Neither of these teams are truly exceptional against the spread in this particular circumstance. Creighton is just 1-2 against the spread on the road, while Xavier is just 4-4-1 ATS at home this season. That said, Xavier has covered in four of their last five games, while the Blue Jays have failed to cover in two of their last eight. The Musketeers at home feel like a pretty safe play at this point, especially as one of Creighton’s most prominent stars appears to be struggling on the road this season.