Creighton Bluejays vs. Kansas Jayhawks Betting Picks

The 3-0 Creighton Bluejays will go on the road Tuesday afternoon to face off with the 4-1 Kansas Jayhawks at 5:00 PM ET in Allen Fieldhouse. You can tune into the top-10 showdown on ESPN as the first of three dynamite CBB games. The Jayhawks come in as three-point home favorites and we’re expecting plenty of points with a 147 over/under. Let’s dive into how this one will go down and who will cover the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of our CBB Picks and Predictions for this upcoming week.

• Bluejays are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• Jayhawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
• Over is 5-0 in Bluejays last 5 games following a ATS loss.
• Over is 4-1 in Jayhawks last 5 home games.

The Bluejays have been perfect through three games, but the best team they’ve played to this point was North Dakota State. That means we can only take their numbers through three games with a grain of salt. They’ve been efficient offensively in each of their last two games, putting up 93 and 94 points. The defense is where they lack here, as they hold a 91.4 adjD (KenPom/points allowed per 100 possessions) while Kansas sits at 86.7.

Five different players average double-figures, led by point guard Marcus Zegarowski (12.3 pts, 7 ast, 3 reb). He hasn’t started off scoring much, but is sharing the ball well and will score when it’s needed. The frontcourt is manned by junior Christian Bishop (15.0 pts, 5.3 reb), freshman seven-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner (10.7 pts, 4 reb), and senior Damien Jefferson (10 pts, 3.7 reb, 2.3 ast). This is a massive team and they work from the inside out.

The Jayhawks have played a tough schedule early, facing Gonzaga and Kentucky in two of their first three games. They were beaten by the Zags and beat Duke by three. This is a team that relies on their defense, ranking fifth in defensive efficiency of 357 teams. They’re led by returning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Garrett (9.2 pts, 4.6 rebs, 3 ast, 1.4 stl), who’s moved over to PG with Devon Dotson departing. He won’t always put up the biggest numbers, but will play 35+ minutes in big games and will always be on the opposing squads’ best scorer.

Junior SG//SF Ochai Agbaji has stepped up in a big way this year and he’s up to 16.2 points per game on top of 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. He’s doing it all for Kansas and put up 17 in both big games. Freshman Jalen Wilson (15 pts, 8.8 reb) has been a big addition down low with Azubuike gone and he has a tough task on his hands against this massive Creighton interior. Christian Braun and David McCormack will also have to guard in the paint and they will inevitably be the x-factors for Kansas.

This game is going to come down to how Kansas handles the interior of Creighton. Jalen Wilson has been solid, but he won’t be able to do it alone as a freshman. I like the Bluejays to keep this game close and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win. They’re the more efficient offense and while Kansas ranks better defensively, I don’t see that being the case against this team. The Kansas D will be a lot more deadly against guard-heavy attacks. Give me the Bluejays and the 4.5 points here, but sprinkle some money line as well. The Bluejays have all of the ingredients to be an elite team and Zegarowski can put this team on his back.

If we’re expecting Creighton to have success in this game, that’s because they’re able to turn this into a back and forth game. They have the better offense and I don’t think Kansas can keep up. The over is the bet to make here, though I would much rather bet Creighton ATS. This is a sharp line and I’ll be staying away unless it drops.