Creighton vs. Arizona Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, November 23 (Fade Inflated Total in Maui)

Arizona Wildcats center Oumar Ballo (11) dunks the ball vs. Colorado.
Arizona Wildcats center Oumar Ballo (11) dunks the ball vs. Colorado. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The No. 14-ranked Arizona Wildcats look to keep their red-hot play cooking when they take on the No. 10 Creighton Bluejays from the Lahaina Civic Center in Day 3 the Maui Invitational.

Arizona was held to under 95 points for the first time all season Tuesday night vs. No. 17 San Diego State, but still held the Aztecs to just 70 on the game, easily covering the short spread.

Now, they face a Creighton team that's known for their defense this season. The Bluejays are allowing less than 65 points per game in the early going, looking to also remain undefeated.

Here are the latest odds from Maui.

Creighton vs. Arizona Odds, Spread and Total

Creighton vs. Arizona Prediction and Pick

Three games in a row and we still have an over/under approaching 165? That's madness!

It's understandable, given just how good Arizona's been this year on that side of the ball. The Wildcats are first in the nation in effective field goal percentage, free throw attempts, 2-point percentage, and are now No. 2 in 3-point percentage after "only" scoring 87 vs. a top 10 efficiency defense in San Diego State Tuesday night.

While Creighton may not come in with as high of a defensive ranking as SD State, this is still a very fundamentally sound unit, that's differently constructed from Greg McDermott teams of the past. They play a little slower, ranking 163rd in average possession length, and while their offense is elite (8th-best in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency), it's also important to note that they are very strong unit on the other side. They're outstanding on the glass, limit opposing teams offensive rebound chances, and don't give up bad fouls.

The overall numbers with both teams in the top 10 for offense make plenty of sense for why the total is so high. At the same time, both teams are still playing their third game in three days. Both teams come off physical performances vs. very tough defenses in No. 9 Arkansas and San Diego State, so I'll play the under for the second straight day in an Arizona game and wait for the shots to start clanking on tired legs.

Follow all of Ben's betting plays in real-time HERE!


Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.