March 20: Previewing Predictions and Odds for Creighton vs Louisville

• The #8 Louisville Cardinals are 2.5-point favorites over the #9 Creighton Bluejays on Thursday
• Louisville is 21-2 over its last 23 games
• See my Creighton vs Louisville predictions and odds for March Madness, below

The opening first-round game on Thursday’s NCAA Tournament slate should be a doozy. The Louisville Cardinals (27-7, 20-14 ATS) face the Creighton Bluejays (24-10,19-13-2 ATS) in the South Region’s 8-vs-9 matchup. I’m betting Louisville continues its red-hot play, and online sportsbooks agree. They’ve pegged the Cardinals as small favorites in the latest college basketball odds. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:15pm ET from Rupp Arena, in Lexington, KY, with CBS providing the broadcast coverage.

Creighton vs Louisville Odds

Louisville is currently favored by 2.5-points and -148 on the moneyline. The total sits at 145.5, with Creighton coming back as +124 underdogs. Per the March Madness public betting trends, the spread has moved a point towards the Cardinals since opening odds were released, while the total has also risen a point.

Odds as of March 19 at DraftKings. Lock in all the March Madness betting promos before the tournament tips off.

Both of these teams are fresh off runs to their respective conference championship games last weekend. Louisville fell to Duke in the ACC Final, while the Bluejays were defeated by St. John’s in the Big East final. The Cardinals have a major home-court advantage for this matchup, playing in their home state. They’re also riding incredible form, and are quite frankly being undervalued by oddsmakers.

Creighton vs Louisville Prediction & Picks

• Louisville Cardinals -2.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Louisville was 18-2 in the ACC regular season. They enter play having won 21 of their past 23 games, and rank 13 spots higher than their opponent per KenPom (23 vs 36). Most experts believe they should have been seeded two or three spots better in the March Madness bracket, but a date with the Bluejays is far from a worst-case scenario.

My prediction is that the Cardinals take advantage of the major guard mismatch in this game en route to victory. The backcourt is Louisville’s strength, led by Chucky Hepburn. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year is far from a one-trick pony. Yes, he can lock down opposing guards, but he’s also one of the team’s top scorers. He averages 16 points and 6 assists per night, and is a nice compliment to Terrance Edwards Jr, who pours in 17 points per game.

Louisville is loaded with experience, rolling out four seniors in their starting lineup. They’re 60th in the country in scoring, and rebound well despite being guard heavy. That will be key versus a Creighton team with plenty of size.

Creighton vs Louisville Stats

The Cardinals also defend the perimeter well, holding enemy shooters below 34% from 3. That’s important given how they’ll guard the Blue Jay bigs. Louisville had a double-team rate on bigs in the 80th percentile. They’ll do everything they can to get the ball out of Ryan Kalkbrenner’s hands, who is one of the top big men in the country.

Kalkbrenner can single handedly win this game for Creighton, but I trust the Cardinals will force him to pass out of double teams. That will give the Blue Jay shooters a chance to step up, but this is far from the best three-point shooting team Creighton has had in a while. Just 34% of their field goal attempts are threes, which ranks 178th nationwide.

Ultimately, Louisville’s backcourt strength and homecourt advantage is too hard to pass up. It should also be noted, they have enough size to bang with Creighton, reducing one of the Blue Jays biggest strengths. Creighton has never fully recovered from their losing second leading scorer Pop Isaacs earlier in the season. That’s put more pressure on Steven Ashworth, who has a 22% turnover rate. Not ideal when you’re being hounded by a relentless defender like Hepburn.

Don’t sleep on this Cardinals team in the Final Four odds either. A win on Thursday sets up a showdown with top-seed Auburn, who comes stumbling into March Madness. If they can pull off that upset, the South Region is wide open.

On March 20, college basketball fans will be treated to an exciting matchup between the Creighton Bluejays and the Louisville Cardinals. Both teams have had successful seasons so far, with Creighton boasting a 22-8 record and Louisville sitting at 21-9.

Creighton, led by head coach Greg McDermott, has been a force to be reckoned with in the Big East conference. The Bluejays are known for their high-powered offense, averaging 77.5 points per game. Senior guard Marcus Zegarowski has been a standout player for Creighton, averaging 15.6 points and 4.3 assists per game. The Bluejays also have a strong supporting cast, with players like Christian Bishop and Denzel Mahoney contributing on both ends of the floor.

On the other side, the Louisville Cardinals have been a solid team in the ACC under head coach Chris Mack. The Cardinals are known for their tough defense, holding opponents to just 65.1 points per game. Senior guard Carlik Jones has been a key player for Louisville, averaging 17.0 points and 4.9 assists per game. The Cardinals also have a strong frontcourt presence with players like Jae’Lyn Withers and Dre Davis.

In terms of predictions and odds for this matchup, Creighton is currently favored to win by 2.5 points according to most sportsbooks. The over/under for total points scored is set at 140.5. Both teams have been playing well as of late, with Creighton winning six of their last eight games and Louisville winning five of their last seven.

Overall, this game is shaping up to be a close and competitive matchup between two talented teams. Fans can expect to see a fast-paced game with plenty of scoring opportunities on both ends of the floor. It will be interesting to see which team comes out on top and advances in the NCAA tournament.