Free Pick | NCAA | Wednesday | Jan. 29

Nelly’s is on a 24-13 run in basketball since Jan. 7 after last night’s win! Play all of February – with winning results 17 of the past 20 months of February!

#721 Xavier +6 over Creighton 7:00 PM CT

Xavier is up to 5-5 in Big East play looking to make a run late in the conference season to climb into consideration for the NCAA Tournament. After Saturday’s win over Connecticut, some may look to fade the Musketeers in a letdown situation, but Xavier has already played six games vs. the top three teams in the Big East standings and has two S/U wins, two overtime losses, and a two-point loss, with only a 10-point loss to St. John’s as a less competitive result. Xavier’s Big East path so far has been by far the toughest in the conference, while in contrast Creighton still has three of those top tier games remaining. Creighton had an uneven non-conference season but has rattled off five straight Big East wins, but only the win at Connecticut is of great substance. Creighton is 4-0 at home in Big East play including a win over St. John’s but that was a fortunate one-point escape. Turnovers have been an issue for Creighton ranking towards the bottom of the conference while Xavier has been the far better 3-point defense which is critical in this matchup with the Bluejays taking the highest volume of 3-point shots in the league. Xavier has a veteran team that has covered six of the past nine in this series with Creighton only once producing a lopsided win in this series since the 2020-21 season. Xavier is 7-3 ATS in Big East play with a 4-1 ATS record in road games, and the only ATS miss was losing by eight at St. John’s while +7, in a game that went to overtime. Creighton blasted a shorthanded Seton Hall team over the weekend winning by 25 but the toughest two home games so far in the Big East season were close games in narrow wins over Villanova and St. John’s. Creighton was a lesser favorite hosting Villanova, with Xavier’s profile stronger than the Wildcats and the Musketeers have proven capable of stalling 3-point shooting from their opponents.