Posted at 10:00 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -5 -108 BET365 -5 -110 Sportsinteraction -5 -110   888Sport -5 -110 

Creighton -5 -108 over Oregon

PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Second Round

Streaming: TBS

9:40 PM EST. The Ducks left a resounding impression with the market after they boat-raced #6 seed South Carolina 87-73 in the first round. Oregon opened as a 1½-point underdog but the inefficient market very quickly hammered the Pac-12 Champs to where they closed as a 2½-point choice. Despite playing into every house inefficiency, Oregon left no doubt when it built up an 18-point lead in the second half and never looked back. The result also sent Oregon’s stock through the roof considering that South Carolina was projected as a dark horse to make a deep run into the tournament. The Ducks put that threat to bed very early.

Now, the inefficient market is back for more, as they see the Ducks being offered up some pretty sweet points against a mid-major outfit like Creighton, who cruised past Akron.

Though Creighton is a mainstay in March Madness, the Bluejays will not carry as much clout as an SEC constituent like South Carolina since the Power Conference sent the most teams to March Madness in 2024 alongside the Big 12. An impressive win against an SEC opponent with a bit of media attention will carry a lot more weight than cruising by a MAC team that shouldn’t have qualified for the Men’s Basketball Tournament in the first place.

Oregon played the 202nd ranked non-conference Strength of Schedule and now they’ll face a team that has too many weapons for them to stay within this range. Even during the Ducks' recent run, their defense has been inconsistent.

Creighton played the 64th toughest non-conference schedule. The Bluejays' profile is elite. One of the few teams ranked in the top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, Creighton is just one of eight nationally. Last season's Elite Eight team was better defensively, but this season's Bluejays score more easily, led by the most productive and versatile player in the Big East, Baylor Scheierman. A 6-foot-7 lefty, Scheirman is a terrific deep shooter, high-level rebounder and creative passer. Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth is second to Scheierman in 3-point field goals made and a very good cutter. Trey Alexander is a versatile defender and another 3-point threat. With the floor spread with so many capable shooters, Creighton also puts pressure on the rim, hitting over 60% from 2-point range.

Almost any team can get bounced with a bad shooting night, but Creighton is not one of those teams. Oregon is and should the Ducks have a tough day shooting the rock, they’ll get rolled badly. This is a defensive mismatch in the Bluejays favor and offensively, the favorite is also superior. 

Sherwood

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