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Villanova vs. Creighton prediction and game preview. Both the Wildcats and Bluejays look to bounce back from tough Big East losses when they meet Saturday.

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Villanova vs. Creighton Game Preview

When: Saturday, Feb. 25 – 3 p.m. ET
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Penn.
TV Broadcast: FOX

Villanova losing at The Pavilion is so rare that none of the team’s seniors experienced a defeat there prior to Wednesday. That’s when Butler knocked off the Wildcats 74-66 to sweep the season series, giving Villanova two of its three defeats on the season. It also snapped the Wildcats’ seven-game winning streak despite Jalen Brunson’s 24 points and 18 from Josh Hart.

Creighton didn’t fare any better at home that same night, losing 68-66 to a Providence team that entered the matchup with a Big East record under .500. The Blujays are just 4-5 since senior Maurice Watson suffered a torn ACL, and now they’re dealing with the distraction of Watson’s suspension, him being under investigation for sexual assault and then having a warrant issued for his arrest.

They’ll need to turn things around quickly against the frustrated Wildcats, who won the first meeting 80-70 back on New Year’s Eve. The positive from that defeat is that Creighton hung tough throughout despite Watson being ineffective scoring with just six points. Marcus Foster had 22 in that contest while Justin Patton added 18, and they both had solid efforts against Providence as well.

The Bluejays will need more than just those two, though, and also will need to find a way to stop Brunson and Jenkins this time around.

Villanova Wins If …

… it protects the ball. The Wildcats committed 15 turnovers against Butler, which were 3.6 above their average per game. For as well as Brunson played, he also coughed up the ball five times for his third-most giveaways of the season. Villanova has so much talent with Brunson, Hart and Jenkins, and losing happens mainly when it beats itself. Running the offense efficiently will be enough against Creighton.

Creighton Wins If …

… it doesn’t rely so heavily on Patton and Foster. Losing Watson was a significant blow, but the Bluejays need to keep pushing forward and get others to step up. Guard Khyri Thomas had 12 points and nine rebounds against Providence but only six points in the previous game against Georgetown. It’s no secret that Patton and Foster will have the ball most, but others will need to knock down shots when Villanova clamps down on those two.

Matchup To Watch

Brunson vs. Foster

Brunson has been on fire lately, scoring 46 points while shooting 16 of 20 from the field over his last two games. That’s not good news for Creighton, which watch Brunson score a career-high 27 and hit 5 of 7 from 3-point range in the first meeting. Foster will have to save some energy on the offensive end to keep Brunson from going off on the other end.

Betting Odds

Spread: Villanova -10
Over/Under: No line as of post

Villanova vs. Creighton Prediction

Creighton just doesn’t have enough to hang with Villanova. The Wildcats will get a big game from Hart and bounce back from the loss to Butler.

Villanova vs. Creighton final score prediction: Villanova 78, Creighton 63

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