College Basketball Best Bets: No. 16 Creighton at Nebraska

College Basketball Best Bets: No. 16 Creighton at Nebraska

College basketball is underway, and we here at BetQL couldn't be happier to have things rolling right along toward another exciting March Madness. We'll have you covered every step of the way, with best bets on all the biggest games, until someone is cutting down the nets. That includes this exciting matchup between the No. 16 Creighton Bluejays and Nebraska Cornhuskers in a key matchup. Let's get right into it.

Creighton at Nebraska: Live Odds

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Creighton Bluejays Outlook

It seems like Creighton is one of those teams that is always ranked, but they can just never take that next step into the serious contenders. We've seen them make some good runs in the NCAA Tournament, but have you ever really thought they would win it? I haven't, but this is a new year, and anything is possible. The Bluejays are 6-1 to start their season and ranked 15th in the country coming into this contest. On KenPom, they are ranked 13th, so a bit better than what the CBB committee thinks. Their one loss came at the hands of a surprisingly good Colorado State team that is ranked 20th, a 69-48 blowout. They have also had the advantage of having a pretty easy schedule to start the season, as even the Rams were not ranked when they lost to them.

Except for that really poor performance, Creighton has been putting up quite a good amount of points each week. They are ranked 19th in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom and are scoring a robust 83.3 points per contest through seven games. Senior Baylor Scheierman is back and leading the team in scoring, putting up 18.6 points per game himself and also averaging 7.1 rebounds as a guard. He's shooting 48.4% from the field, and the team as a whole is shooting a pretty crazy 50% from the field. When you are knocking down half of the shots you are taking, that is pretty impressive.

The Bluejays are good offensively, but they back that up with an equally solid defense on the other side of the court. According to KenPom, they are ranked 20th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are allowing 63.9 points per game and getting some solid play in the paint, averaging 3.9 blocks as well.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Outlook

Well, at least Nebraska fans have something to cheer for with their football team being down in the dumps. The Cornhuskers are 7-0 to begin their campaign, yet, they aren't ranked despite being an undefeated Power 5 team. Why is that? Perhaps it's because KenPom has them ranked 43rd in the nation right now, not even close to being inside the top 25. They may be undefeated, but they haven't played a team with a pulse yet. Their last win was against Fullerton 85-72, a school that most people haven't even heard of. Nebraska's strength of schedule is ranked 352nd in the nation so far, one of the easiest in the country. They should be 7-0.

It's hard to judge this team since they have played no one of note, but let's take a look at some of the stats. The Huskers rank 22nd on KenPom in adjusted offensive efficiency, which is quite good, and they are scoring 81.6 points per game. They are shooting 45.7% from the floor, and are led by forward Rienk Mast, who is putting up 14.7 points per game himself. He's shooting 49.3% while also leading the team in rebounds per game with 10.1. They have scored at least 80 points in five straight contests but will be facing what is easily their toughest challenge yet against Creighton.

Nebraska has struggled on defense, which is never a good sign when you have faced nothing but unranked squads. They are allowing just 61.9 points per game, but are ranked 92nd on KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rankings. This is because the offenses they have faced are pathetic, with the average opponent offense ranking 358th. They are getting 3.0 blocks per game and 4.3 steals. However, they have allowed 70+ points to both Fullerton and Duquesne in their last two games. Creighton is on a whole different level than those teams.

Creighton at Nebraska Best Bet

My Pick: Creighton and Over

There are no odds up for this game as of this writing, but I'll be playing Creighton and the over, as long as the line isn't ridiculous. Nebraska is going to face their first real challenge of the season, and I don't think they will be ready for it. The Bluejays are better on both sides of the ball, and both teams are sub-par on defense.