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Sometimes you want to make a quick pit stop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and the lean on UConn vs. Creighton.
UConn (16-7, 8-4) at No. 24 Creighton (18-6, 11-2)
Date: Tuesday, February 11
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: CBS Sports
The pick — SGP: Creighton -1.5, Game OVER 133.5 (+111, Caesars)
Empires crumble. Dynasties die. Just look at the historic Ming, Egyptian and Roman reigns. The Kansas City Chiefs are the latest modern-day example.
As the timeless adage suggests, “All good things come to an end.” The Harlem Globetrotters, who’ve dispatched the woeful Washington Generals roughly 16,000 times, might be the lone exception. Bugs Bunny outsmarting archrival Elmer Fudd also deserves votes.
The walls around UConn are showing visible cracks. Inarguably the most dominant program the past two years, Excitable Danny Hurley and company lag 3 1/2 games behind first-place St. John’s in the Big East standings. Their reign of supremacy in the conference and in the country is very much on notice.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans' latest NCAA Tournament projections ]
Various downturns explain the Huskies’ 2024-2025 humility. Popularity polls still hold them in high regard (No. 19 in the AP), but UConn is a humbling No. 39 over the past month, according to BartTorvik. Its top-90 placement in effective field-goal percentage offense and effective field-goal percentage defense during the stretch are nothing to scoff at, but the steady sloppy handles (No. 343 in turnover percentage offense) and missed free throws (No. 285 in FTR) explain the mediocre production.
Currently a lackluster No. 8 projected seed on the latest Bracket Big Board, the Huskies mushing deep into March seems like a psychedelic pipe dream. This season’s “Severance” might be more steeped in reality.
Alex Karaban, Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley will have their moments. And Hurley will remain completely off the rails. But this season’s UConn just doesn't instill confidence.
Creighton, however, is starting to do so.
Creighton says Red Panda will perform at halftime when it hosts UConn on Tuesday night. It’ll also be dollar beer night, and every seat will have a rally towel on it. CHI is gonna be bonkers.
— Jon Walker (@ByJonWalker) February 10, 2025
Peaking at an opportune time, the Bluejays are humming. Winners of nine straight, they rank No. 18 overall over that span, per BartTorvik. Most outstandingly, they’re also the only team that’s top-20 in eFG offense and eFG defense. Such tremendous balance.
Mozzarella stick Ryan Kalkbrenner has brought consistency on both ends, but the 3-point splashes of Steven Ashworth are what have really unlocked Creighton’s potential. The plucky senior guard has converted at least three triples in five straight contests, and in his last two performances against Providence and Marquette, he has scored a total of 45 points. His resulting 120.07 average offensive rating in his last five games is stratospheric.
Admittedly, I’m ice cold on column picks. However, backing a Greg McDermott-coached team that’s 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 home games seems like a funk-breaking selection.
Rock the Kalk.
Season record: 18-18, -0.68 units