Creighton hosted Xavier at No. 13 on CBS Saturday, a rematch of the Jan. 11 thriller that saw the Musketeers take a crucial 90-87 victory in the Big East showdown. That loss put the Blue Jays down 3-3 in the Big East, but they have recovered well enough to win their last three games to go 12-8 (6-3 in the Big East) for second place. Ranked fourth in the league standings.
Xavier headed into the day with a 17-4 (9-1) single and was on a roll in Wednesday’s 82-79 win over No. 19 UConn. The Musketeers have been one of the top surprise teams in the country in Coach Sean Miller’s first season leading the program for the second time.
With the win over Creighton, Xavier will have 10 division victories for the first time since the 2017-18 season with a few weeks left in the regular season. While Miller has inherited some fine veterans from last season’s roster, he also makes an important transfer addition to Sulibum. The former UTEP guard had 26 points in his first meeting with Creighton and led the Musketeers with 21 in this week’s win over UConn.
All five of Creighton’s starters hit double figures in the first encounter, led by Baylor Scheierman’s 25 points. Balanced scoring has always been a hallmark of the Bluejays, who again posted double-digit scoring contributions from every starter in a 104-76 win over St. John’s on Wednesday.
The Musketeers outscored Game 1 with a 15-7 advantage in second-chance scoring and a 17-3 advantage in scoring from the bench and trailed by six with just 9:20 left. But that game was at Xavier, and the Blue Jays have lost just once at home this season. A win for Creighton would not only be revenge, but would put the Bluejays firmly in the league title race.
How to watch Xavier vs. Creighton live
date: Saturday, January 28 | time: 12:15 p.m. ET
Place: CHI Health Center – Omaha, Nebraska
television: CBS | live: CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports App (Free)
Xavier vs. Creighton predictions, picks
featured games | Creighton Blue Jays vs. Xavier Musketeers
This week has been the toughest in the Big East for Xavier, who must now face a surging Creighton team on the western edge of the league’s footprint three days after a tough win over UConn. Creighton is riding high after a 28-point win over St. John’s and has won three straight since taking over the Musketeers. According to CBS Sports bracket science expert Jerry Palm, the Blue Jays are coming back to form but are still an NCAA tournament bubble team. This is Creighton’s second Quad 1 win and the Bluejays should take full advantage in front of the home crowd. Prediction: Creighton – 4
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