Texas basketball vs. Creighton: Prediction and odds college basketball
What could be the biggest remaining game on the non-conference schedule for No. 2 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Chris Beard lies ahead on Dec. 1. Texas will host the No. 7 ranked Creighton Blue Jays at home at the shiny new Moody Center in Austin.
Beard and the Longhorns are coming into this game with a spotless 5-0 (0-0 Big 12) record following a dominant 91-54 win to close out the Leon Black Classic at Gregory Gym in Austin on Nov. 26 over the UTRGV Vaqueros. Texas also has a record of 4-0 at home this season.
Meanwhile, Creighton comes into this game with a record of 6-1 (0-0 Big East) following a close two-point loss to the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats and former Longhorn Courtney Ramey to close out the Maui Invitational on Nov. 23. Creighton did pull out two wins over top 25 teams to start off the Maui Invitational.
Here’s a look at the betting odds and game prediction as Texas gets set to host Creighton at home at the Moody Center in Austin on Dec. 1, with the tip-off time set for 6 p.m. CT.
Texas basketball vs. Creighton: Odds for Dec. 1
Texas is a 6.5-point favorite over Creighton, and the over/under is set at 133.5 (per FanDuel).
The moneyline favors Texas (-285) slightly over Creighton (+230).
According to the ESPN Basketball Power Index, Texas has an 80.6 percent chance of beating Creighton.
Texas vs. Creighton prediction
Creighton might have the most complete and formidable starting five of any team that the Longhorns are set to face this season. This Creighton starting unit is lined with standouts, all of which are scoring in the double digits through seven games this season.
The key for the Longhorns in this game will be to contain key starters for the Blue Jays such as sophomore point guard Ryan Nembhard and junior seven-footer/center Ryan Kalkbrenner. If Texas can limit the effectiveness of Creighton’s starting unit, the advantage that Beard’s squad has in terms of the depth coming off the bench can start to take over this game.
Texas has the advantage in this matchup in terms of bench strength and athleticism. Beard and the Longhorns will have to use those advantages to their fullest extent since Creighton is getting a ton out of its starters.
Four of the five starters are averaging just shy of 30 minutes played per game this season, and all are averaging at least 27 minutes per game. And it’s worth noting that there is only one bench player for the Blue Jays that is averaging more than 13 minutes per game, former TCU transfer guard Francisco Farabello.
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This is a winnable game for the Longhorns. But I do think Creighton has the ability to push Texas more so than just about any other team in the country. This is a major reason why I picked Texas to only beat Creighton by two points.