- The #9 Creighton Bluejays and #8 Louisville Cardinals meet in the first game of the round of 64 on Thursday
- The Cardinals opened as -142 moneyline favorites on Sunday but the odds have moved since
- See the closing Creighton vs Louisville odds and betting lines just hours from tip-off
The #9 Creighton Bluejays (24-10, 15-5 Big East, 19-13-2 ATS) and #8 Louisville Cardinals (27-7, 18-2 ACC, 20-14 ATS) meet in a #9-vs-#8 game in the South Region of the 2025 March Madness bracket. Tip-off is at 12:15 pm ET at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. The 8/9 games are often seen as toss-ups but that’s not the case in Creighton vs Louisville. The Cardinals opened as 2.5-point favorites and -142 on the moneyline, and the odds have only moved more towards the favorite over the last 72 hours.
Closing Creighton vs Louisville Odds
As of 9:45 am ET on Thursday, the Creighton/Louisville spread had grown a full point to Louisville -3.5 (-105), with the Bluejays priced at -115 to cover as 3.5-point “neutral-court” underdogs in Lexington. The total has stayed put at 145.5. Odds as of 9:45 am ET, March 20, at BetMGM. Claim the top March Madness betting promos before it’s too late!
Both teams exceeded expectations this season and it shows in their ATS records. Both were undervalued against the spread, especially early on this season, and Creighton wound up 19-13-2 (59.4% cover rate) against the number while Louisville was an almost-identical 20-14 (58.8% cover rate).
Louisville started the season rated just 64th at KenPom, coming off a brutal season in which they went 3-17 in ACC play and rated 185th at KenPom by the end of the year. Entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament, first-year Cardinal coach Pat Kelsey has his team sitting 21st. Creighton is currently 36th at KenPom.
Creighton vs Louisville Projected Score
The opening spread of Louisville -2.5 was basically smack in the middle of the score predictions from the three most-influential analytics sites. Both KenPom and Torvik predict a three-point Louisville win. Haslametrics has it considerably close, rating Louisville just 1.5 points better than Creighton.
Curiously, KenPom, which does take into account “semi-home” games when a team is playing near but not at its own stadium, lists Creighton/Louisville as a true neutral game. Louisville is just over an hour’s drive from Lexington. Omaha is nearly 12. No, this isn’t exactly a home game for the Cardinals but they’re in their home state and bettors can expect the crowd to be heavily partial to Louisville.
In all likelihood, that’s the main motivating factor in the odds movement over the last few days.
Louisville went hasn’t lost a game in its home state since Dec. 14 when the Cardinals fell to in-state rival Kentucky (93-85 home). They have rattled off ten straight home wins since that point, plus a 2-1 record in neutral-court games, the only loss coming to Duke in the ACC final (a game they led by five at halftime).
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GAME PREVIEWS & PICKS
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The highly anticipated matchup between Creighton and Louisville is set to take place this weekend, and sports bettors are already buzzing about the latest odds and betting lines for the game. The Cardinals’ moneyline has been steadily shortening in recent days, indicating that more and more bettors are putting their money on Louisville to come out on top.
As of now, the latest odds have Louisville as a slight favorite over Creighton, with the Cardinals holding a -2.5 point spread. The moneyline for Louisville currently sits at -140, while Creighton’s moneyline is at +120. This means that a bettor would need to wager $140 on Louisville to win $100, while a $100 bet on Creighton would net $120 in winnings.
In terms of the projected score for the game, most sportsbooks have the over/under set at 145 points. This indicates that oddsmakers are expecting a relatively high-scoring affair between these two talented teams. Both Creighton and Louisville have potent offenses that can put up points in a hurry, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a high-scoring game when they face off.
It’s worth noting that the shortening of the Cardinals’ moneyline could be due to a variety of factors, including recent performances, injuries, or even just public perception. Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that bettors are feeling confident in Louisville’s chances to come out on top in this matchup.
As always, it’s important to do your own research and analysis before placing any bets on this game or any other sporting event. While the odds and betting lines can provide valuable information, they are by no means a guarantee of how the game will play out. So whether you’re backing Louisville or Creighton in this game, make sure to bet responsibly and enjoy what should be an exciting showdown between two talented teams.