Creighton Bluejays vs Akron Zips Prediction, Picks, Odds, News, Injury Report 3/21/24

The 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First Round games jump off on Thursday, so we can officially say welcome to March Madness! There are 16 matches set to open the highly anticipated event, and Ej is picking out a game from the Midwest Region to cover today. The Bluejays are considerable favorites to win this game with a -13.5 handicap, and Ej has eyes on the total set at 140.5. Does he expect points to come in this first-round tilt, or does the sound of the iron point to an under? My Bluejays vs Zips prediction and best value pick are available in the article below!

The Creighton Bluejays out of the Big East Conference will take on the Akron Zips from the MAC. Both programs travel to Pittsburgh, PA, to contest the first-round affair.  The first of four games are being played at PPG Arena today. The winner of this game will advance to face the winner of the match between South Carolina and Oregon.

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 BLUEJAYS VS ZIPS Prediction and Picks

• Selection: Match Total Over 140.5 Points
• Best Odds: 1.91
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

Odds are available as of 08:00,  March 21st, 2024.

If you have decided to stick around and read my thoughts on this game, I am taking the total over for a few reasons, so let me spell it out for you.  The low offer of 140.5 doesn’t intimidate me at all, and if you are a stat-tracker who uses numbers, stop it.

Yes, Akron only gives up 65.9 PPG, which you would see as an impressive number being ranked 34th in the country. Do you follow and like MAC hoops, and if you do, I apologize in advance, HA!

The MAC only features five programs with a better than a .500 record this campaign, and only two teams from the conference made the field of 64. There were a lot of rumors about fixed games in the MAC this season. That is not something I say with proof, but I live here in the States, and you just hear things between bettors.

Many folks stay away from the MAC now, but that won’t affect this outcome, in my opinion.

Those defensive stats for Akron came against so many bad offenses in conference play. This is why I am not letting that affect my thinking toward a bet on the total. Creighton can score in any gym, and they can score points in droves with their three-point shooting prowess. The Bluejays are ranked 6th in the country with made 3-pointers, and I love that #18 next to their team free-throw shooting ranking.

Creighton will not be held to under 80 points against Akron tonight, period, end of story!

I simply cannot justify any strength of defensive stats when you play MAC teams night after night to accumulate those numbers. I will admit the concern I have is that Creighton has zero depth on that bench of theirs.

Did you see that the Jays’ head coach played all 5 starters and one bench player in the opening-round loss to Providence in the Big East Tourney? It looks like Mason Miller and Francisco Farabello are going to split that 5th position on the court. This is even though the two of them combined to score only 3 points against Providence. Miller didn’t even score a point in 18 minutes on the floor, and he added nothing to the game but a 0 for 1 night,

Akron won their MAC Tournament title, and they did it with some luck and against some bad offenses. The Zips needed to get fouled with a huge mistake from Kent State with only 8 seconds to play, and two free throws is how they won the title game, 62 – 61.

I honestly think Akron will try to get Creighton in foul trouble because the lack of depth for Creighton is obvious. I also think fouls and free throw shooting will help is get over the total late, so I expect a 76 – 72 game close to 150.

Creighton Bluejays vs Akron Zips Game Info

• Time: 17:05 UK Time
• Date: Thursday, March 21
• Location: PPG Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
• Where to Watch: TNT

Creighton Bluejays News, Injury Report, Schedule:

The Bluejays came in second place in the Big East Conference regular season but failed to win a single game in the conference tourney. Creighton had won 7 of their last 8 games headed into the conference tournament, and as -8.5 favs they flopped, 78 – 73.

The question to answer will be how to get the confidence back, and that is on their coaching staff. Having a lack of options on the bench is a huge liability for coach McDermott, but it hasn’t stopped them from winning 22 games this year.

Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman played all 40 minutes in the conference tourney loss to Providence, but they were two of four double-digit scorers for Creighton. Scheierman led the team with an 18.5 average in the regular season, and he scored 16 in the loss to Providence.

Akron Zips News, Injury Report, Schedule

Akron is riding the momentum of winning their conference tournament after finishing the regular season in second place of the MAC.

The Under has been a nice play with Akron this season, as they are 20 – 12 keeping games to a low score. However, the Zips offense puts up 74 PPG, and they’ll get plenty of chances to score on Creighton’s thin lineup.

Akron’s offense will be the deciding factor in this game, even though everyone will be talking about the Jays’ ability to score. Watch for a big surprise today and a possible upset in the making, but I strongly suggest you grab the +13.5 Handicap. Akron will keep this game close enough to cover and help us push this total over the number.

Creighton Bluejays vs Akron Zips H2H:

These two teams have met three times since 2011. Akron earned a home win in the first meeting, 76 – 67, and Creighton won the other two meetings on their court in 2012 and 2016.

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