🏀 Rutgers vs. Creighton Prediction & Parlay: Tonight's College Basketball Crown Picks

The final College Basketball Crown quarterfinal tips off tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET, as Rutgers takes on Creighton. The Bluejays enter as 5.5-point favorites ahead of the matchup at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with the game set to air on FS1.

My Rutgers vs. Creighton prediction expects Creighton to lean on its extensive postseason experience as it seeks to advance to the weekend. My best College Basketball Crown predictions also break down why I think the Bluejays' team total is a great play tonight.

🏀 Rutgers vs. Creighton picks & odds: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 3.0 units | Max profit: 2.79 units

🏆 Who will win Rutgers vs. Creighton tonight?

Creighton had a disappointing season after being picked to finish third in the Big East preseason poll. But it has also won 14 of its last 16 postseason openers, and is one of two teams since 2011-12 to win at least 19 of 26 non-conference games against the Big Ten. I expect Greg McDermott, arguably the best coach in Creighton history, to retire on better terms than a CBC quarterfinal loss to Rutgers.

Score prediction: Creighton 81, Rutgers 75

💰 Rutgers vs. Creighton prediction & best bet tonight

Creighton -3.5 (-110)

Creighton is one of 11 schools with an active postseason streak of 10-plus years. Much of its disappointing season can be pinned on injuries, as Third-Team All-Big East pick Jackson McAndrew missed all but four games this season. In all, the Blue Jays are without four players 6-foot-10 or taller they counted on for meaningful minutes.

While Rutgers ranks in the top-50 nationally in bench points, that advantage would matter more in a condensed tournament format. With three weeks to prepare, I give the edge to McDermott, who guided the Bluejays to 365 wins (26th-most) in his tenure since 2010-11. 

🔥 Best Rutgers vs. Creighton team prop bet

Creighton team total Over 78.5 (-105)

You know Creighton is going to jack up 3-pointers at a high rate, as it has made five-plus threes in 103 consecutive games. Though it has been without most of its tallest players for the season, it shouldn’t lose the shot volume battle by much against a Rutgers team that is minus-3.4 on average per game on the glass.

Josh Dix is one of four Bluejays averaging in double figures, and he is very familiar with Steve Pikiell’s Scarlet Knights defense, as he dropped 26 on them in a road game while playing for Iowa last year. 

Rutgers' defense ranked 15th out of 18 teams in Big Ten play in defending the 3-point line. But they should also be carved up in pick-and-roll action after grading out in the seventh percentile in PNR defensive efficiency rating.

🚀 Rutgers vs. Creighton same-game parlay tonight

Seeing as DraftKings is the only top sports betting site to offer team props of any sort as of this writing, I am sacrificing some value on the point spread, as its the only sportsbook at Creighton higher than -4. Because of that, I am limiting this same-game parlay wager to 0.25 units, even though all three legs pair nicely with one another.

🤑 Rutgers vs. Creighton betting splits

Here's my analysis of the most-bet NBA player props tonight (h/t BetMGM):

The public is all over Creighton and the Under in all ways. Creighton is the better team, and with their coach on his final season, they want to win for him. -LJ Blut

💵 My betting record for college basketball

All college basketball picks, including SGPs, have been tracked since March 13.

💡 How I'm betting Rutgers vs. Creighton: College Basketball Crown strategy

Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions for March Madness.

Rutgers played 20 games against top-100 competition, and won just three times. Thus, I wouldn't put anyone off making a bigger two or three-unit play on Creighton's moneyline odds, which are as short as -162 (carrying a 61.83% implied probability) at FanDuel.

The Over is also a one-unit play even though it comes with three stars of confidence. Creighton's drop coverage defensively allows a fifth percentile rim rate, but Rutgers' offense has lived in the mid-range most of the season anyway.

📊 Live Rutgers vs. Creighton odds: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

All of the top sports betting sites have ticked up from their opening spreads despite rumors that Austin Swartz may not be with Creighton in Las Vegas. The Bluejays opened at -2.5 at both DraftKings and FanDuel, but the former steamed up a point higher to -4.5 while FanDuel's line topped out at -3.5.

DraftKings opened its total at 148.5, two points lower than the rest of the market. It wasn't a surprise that the line was quickly bet up to 150.5, and now the market is aligned at 151.5 as of this writing.

📈 Rutgers vs. Creighton betting trends

📺 How to watch Rutgers vs. Creighton: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

• Date: Thursday, April 2
• Tipoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
• Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas)
• TV: FS1
• Streaming: Fubo