College Knowledge
-- Creighton won last nine games since only loss, at home to Boise; they start 4-0 in MVC play, with three wins by 13+ points. Bluejays are #1 in country, making 44.9% behind arc. Missouri State was 0-10 v D-I teams in non-conference play, but starts out 3-1 in Valley, losing by 3 in OT to Evansville. Bears hold teams to 29.2% behind the arc.
-- Loyola, Chi lost last two games after 10-3 start; they're turning ball over 21.6% of time, lot for good team. Ramblers are 5-1 at home, with four wins by 8+ points. Wright State won six of its last seven games, winning first three Horizon games by 11-2-16 points; Raiders force turnovers 25.4% of time, #13 in country at that- they're 3-3 on road, 9-2 vs teams outside top 150.
-- Utah State won its last 11 games since only loss, at home to St Mary's Nov 15; Aggies are 4-0 in WAC play, winning by 4-24-9-78 points, but needed OT to beat Idaho last game- they're making 37.5% from the arc, 53.5% inside it. San Jose State is 1-3 vs teams in top 150, with losses by 13-21-9 points, but they're 3-1 in WAC, winning at UTSA/Texas State.
-- Siena lost last 11 games; their last win was 55 days ago, vs Northern Kentucky. Saints are 0-6 at home, and scored 62 or less points in seven of last eight games- they turn ball over 23.3% of time. Canisius is 5-4 on road but lost last two (UNLV/Detroit) road tilts; they're #11 in country, making 40.1% behind arc. Griffs are 3-1 in MAAC (wins by 12-12-9).
-- Niagara is 1-6 on road after losing in OT at Brown Tuesday; they are 3-2 vs teams outside top 200, with home side winning all of five of those games. St Peter's is 3-8 in last 11 games, 1-3 in MAAC, with only win by hoop over #100 Iona- they also won at Rutgers but lost to a couple teams outside top 300, so Peacocks are extremely difficult to handicap.
-- Loyola is 3-1 in MAAC, with wins by 6-6-16 points; Greyhounds beat Fairfield 48-44 in MAAC title game last March. Fairfield had its 6-game win streak snapped at Niagara last games; Stags had also won five road games in row before that- five of their six losses are to teams in top 120. Loyola grabs 39% of its missed shots, #15 team in country at that.
Armadillosports.com
Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
No. 16 Creighton Bluejays vs. Missouri State Bears
Creighton should continue to move up in the rankings with victories over Illinois State and Indiana State last week to improve to 14-1 SU (10-3 ATS) overall. The Bluejays face Drake this Tuesday Night in a Missouri Valley matchup before Friday night’s clash against the Bears. They are scoring an average of 79.5 points a game behind a stellar 51.2 shooting percentage from the floor. Doug McDermott has led the way with 23.1 points a game.
It has been a dreadful first half of the season for Missouri State with an overall record of 4-11 SU, but it is 2-1 in MVC play. Overall the Bears are 4-6 ATS and the total has gone OVER in two of their last three games. Anthony Downing is the only player scoring in double-figures with an average of 14 points a game. The team as a whole is shooting just 39.4 percent from the field.