Creighton vs Arizona Basketball Prediction & Picks: Who will take home the Maui title?

Following impressive wins over ranked opponents yesterday, Creighton and Arizona will meet today in the final of this year’s Maui Invitational.

For the tenth-ranked Bluejays, their hard-fought 90-87 win over #9 Arkansas was their second straight over a ranked foe, following Monday’s double-digit win over #21 Texas Tech.

The #14 Wildcats, meanwhile, followed up a 101-93 win over Cincinnati with a resounding 87-70 win over #17 San Diego State.

Both of these teams have scored a lot of points to start the season, and oddsmakers expect that to continue in the Maui final. But is that how things are most likely to play out? Keep reading for a look at the matchup, along with a Creighton vs Arizona prediction and recommended bets.

Creighton Bluejays vs Arizona Wildcats Matchup Information and Betting Odds – 2022 Maui Invitational Final

Matchup Information

• Matchup: #10 Creighton Bluejays (6-0) vs #14 Arizona Wildcats (5-0)
• Venue & Location: Lahaina Civic Center (Maui, Hawaii)
• Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
• Game Time: 5:00 pm ET (12:00 pm local time)

Creighton vs Arizona Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at 10:05 am ET. This article may also include odds from our other recommended sports betting sites.

Spread

• Creighton +2.5 (-115)
• Arizona -2.5 (-105)

Over/Under

• Over 163.5 (-110)
• Under 163.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Creighton +108
• Arizona -130

Can Arizona’s Defense Step Up Again?

Early on this season, Arizona’s scoring exploits are garnering a lot of notice, as they should be. The Wildcats remain the highest-scoring team in college basketball, even after recording a season low in points in their win over the Aztecs.

But 87 points was more than enough to get the win over SDSU, thanks to an outstanding defensive effort.

The Aztecs did go on a 27-9 run spanning the final five minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half, but other than that stretch, it was all Arizona.

No. 14 @ArizonaMBB gets the W over No. 17 San Diego State!

Cats will meet No. 10 Creighton in the @MauiInv Championship on Wednesday. ? pic.twitter.com/iN0RVDKX0K

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 23, 2022

San Diego State went into the game having scored 80+ points three times in their first four games and had torched Ohio State for 88 points in an 11-point win on Monday.

But after shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from three against the Buckeyes, the Aztecs shot only 38.1 percent (24 of 63) from the field and 15.8 percent (3 of 19) from three against the Wildcats. Were it not for a +9 advantage from the free-throw line, it would have been an even rougher night for SDSU.

Can they put the clamps on Creighton as well? Texas Tech and Arkansas were unable to do so.

Offensive Numbers for Creighton at the Maui Invitational

• vs Texas Tech (76-65 W): 27 of 49 FG (55.1%), 9 of 20 3PT (45%), 13-17 FT (76.5%)
• vs Arkansas (90-87 W): 31 of 53 FG (58.5%), 7 of 14 3PT (50%), 21-29 FT (72.4%)

Against Texas Tech, all five Creighton starters scored in double figures, while Arthur Kaluma (nine points) was the only starter to not reach double figures against Arkansas.

Will Ramey Make It Rain Again to Round Out Marvelous Maui Run?

After not playing in the Wildcats’ first four games, it’s fair to say that Texas transfer Courtney Ramey has hit the ground running in his return to the court.

Against Cincinnati, Ramey scored 17 points in 26 minutes, making 3 of 5 shots from three and 6 of 9 from the field overall. He followed that by lighting up San Diego State to the tune of 21 points in 27 minutes, making all five of his threes and 8 of 12 from the field overall.

In his four seasons at Texas, Ramey was a decent enough outside shooter overall, making 36.5 percent of his attempts (194 of 532), but he shot only 39.2 percent from the field overall.

He’s obviously not going to shoot at this clip all season long, but if he can continue to shoot well from outside and overall, Arizona will have as good a chance as any team to finish the season in Houston.

Player Props for Courtney Ramey vs Creighton

Odds are via BetOnline.

Points

• Over 13.5 (-113)
• Under 13.5 (-113)

Rebounds

• Over 3.5 (-165)
• Under 3.5 (+126)

Made Threes

• Over 1.5 (-108)
• Under 1.5 (-125)

Creighton vs Arizona Prediction and Picks

Creighton vs Arizona Prediction: Arizona to win

Creighton vs Arizona Picks: Arizona ML (Best Value: -130 at BetOnline) & Arizona team total over (Best Value: over 82.5 @ -116 at BetOnline)

While I was certainly impressed with San Diego State’s early scoring success, I didn’t think that they would be able to keep up with Arizona in the end, and that proved to be the case.

I’ve also been quite impressed with Creighton, who significantly helped their quest for the highest possible March Madness seed with their wins over Texas Tech and Arkansas.

But Arizona just feels rather inevitable at the moment, at least with regards to taking the title in Maui.

It’s no easy feat to beat San Diego State like they did–the Aztecs had not allowed 80 or more points since an 81-53 loss at Nevada on March 9, 2019–but the Wildcats jumped on them early, weathered a flurry, then coolly and calmly regained control that they would not relinquish.

Creighton was able to outlast an Arkansas team that isn’t quite together just yet–two freshmen were in their starting lineup, and their most heralded freshman, Nick Smith Jr., has not played yet–but I don’t think they will be able to do the same against a deep, experienced, and very, very talented Arizona squad.

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