While they don’t have the national College Basketball odds success as Connecticut or Villanova, Creighton’s decade-plus since joining the Big East has been very prosperous. Namely, Greg McDermott is building quite the basketball program in Omaha. But McDermott has not been able to finish by March Madness time.
Under head coach Gret McDermott, the Creighton Blue Jays have been a consistent NCAA Tournament program often ranked in the Top 10. However, the proverbial next step remains elusive. Basketball remains tough in the Big East. Creighton is one of the bigger reasons for that success.
2025 NCAA Tournament – First Round Thursday Creighton Bluejays vs. Louisville Cardinals
| Date and Time: | Thursday, March 20, 2025, 12:15 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY |
| TV Coverage: | CBS |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creighton | +2½ -105 | 146 -105 | +125 |  |
| Louisville | -2½ -115 | 146 -115 | -145 | |
| ||||
Creighton Bluejays Team Overview
Late on, Creighton has covered three of its previous five games and gone over the Sportsbook total in four of its last five outings. First among Creighton scorers is Ryan Kalkbrenner, with 19.4 points per game.
Overall, the Creighton Bluejays are 24-10 straight up, 18-11-2 against the spread, and 14-17 over/under the total. Creighton has national metrics of 141st for scoring offense, 45th for field goal percentage, 165th for 3-point field goal percentage, 107th for free throw percentage, and 46th for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Creighton is 91st for scoring defense, 31st for field goal percentage permitted, 80th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 169th for defensive rebounding.
Greg McDermott has established himself as one of the more consistently successful coaches in college basketball over the last decade and a half. In McDermott’s 14 seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays have been regular 20+ game winners, and the postseason success has started to roll in over the last four NCAA Tournaments. This year’s team has a great chance to reach the Bluejay’s fourth second weekend in five years, combining experienced returners with impact newcomers.
What will make this tournament special for Creighton is getting one last ride out of Ryan Kalkbrenner, who has undoubtedly established himself as one of the program’s most memorable players of all time. He is such a complete player that you can count on him to score, rebound, and block with dominant efficiency figures. While there’s less experience than ever around and behind him in the frontcourt, he alone is a nightmare for opposing offenses and defenses.
RJ Luis Jr scored 27 of his 29 points in the second half as top-seeded St. John’s pulled away for an 82-66 victory over second-seeded Creighton on Saturday night to secure its first Big East conference tournament championship since 2000.
Louisville Cardinals Team Overview
Late on, Louisville has covered four of its previous six games and has gone under the March Madness odds total in five of its last seven outings. Terrence Edwards is the first among Louisville scorers with 16.6 points per game.
Overall, the Louisville Cardinals are 27-7 straight up, 19-12 against the spread, and 10-21 over/under the total. Louisville has national metrics of 54th for scoring offense, 136th for field goal percentage, 228th for 3-point field goal percentage, 81st for free throw percentage, and 42nd for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Louisville is 78th for scoring defense, 97th for field goal percentage permitted, 169th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 118th for defensive rebounding.
Creighton vs. Louisville SBG Free Picks
In this situation, Creighton has the advantage of more NCAA Tournament experience.
Creighton vs. Louisville SBG Best Bet: Creighton Blue Jays.