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Teams: Villanova (22-2; 10-1) vs. Creighton (20-4; 10-2)
Day: Sunday, February 16
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Location: CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Neb.
TV: FS1
About Villanova: Villanova destroyed DePaul by 25 points in their sixth straight win. Nova’s last loss came against Creighton back in January. Villanova has one of the best offenses in the country and led a balanced attack against DePaul with five players getting into double figures. Darrun Hilliard had 22 points, which was the most out of any Wildcat on the night. Villanova killed it from behind the arc, making more than half of their three-point attempts; Ryan Arcidiacono ran the court well like usual with six assists; and JayVaughn Pinkston scored 14 points and recorded 11 rebounds, accomplishing his second double-double of the season.
About Creighton: Creighton was almost upset by Butler, a team that has not played great basketball recently. The Bluejays beat Butler by 28 points when they last played them, but this time they barely escaped Hinkle Fieldhouse with a win. Creighton did some things right though, getting a lot of support from their bench, specifically Will Artino who 11 points. The back court of Jahenns Manigat and Austin Chatman scored nine points of their own, adding to the arsenal. To add, the team had 17 assists, and shot well from the free throw line. When the game came down the wire, Doug McDermott came up clutch, scoring the go-ahead shot for Creighton to give them their 20th victory of the season.
Keys to the Game:
- Villanova's three point game
Nova's three pointers against DePaul accounted for more than half of their total points in the game. If the Wildcats continue their impressive shooting from beyond the arc, there is a great chance they beat Creighton and beat them handily.
-Creighton's assists
One of the main reasons why Creighton came out victorious against Butler is because of their assists. The team had 17 dimes in the contest, and is averaging 18.1 assists per game this season. The Bluejays will need to continue making assists if they want any chance to beat Villanova.
Prediction: Villanova 80, Creighton 76