Creighton Beats Cincinnati, Duke Defeats Albany in Friday Midwest Regional Battles

It was a relatively quiet day in the Midwest region on Friday with only two games taking place. To no one’s surprise, the no. 2-seeded Duke Blue Devils defeated the no. 15-seeded Albany Great Danes 73-61. However, the other game surprised some prognosticators (including me): the Creighton Blue Jays defeated the defensive juggernaut Cincinnati Bearcats 67-63. Let’s take a closer look at both games and see how they shook out from a betting angle.

Creighton Defeats Cincinnati 67-63

Creighton is no stranger to not getting enough credit; they’re from the Missouri Valley Conference, after all, a mid-major that flies perennially under the radar. Since the Cincinnati Bearcats had been through the gauntlet of the Big East, many assumed they could make quick work of the Blue Jays. However, Creighton outplayed the Bearcats, and their best player, Doug McDermott, finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Crucially, Creighton got to the charity stripe much more than Cincinnati, making 22 of 25 free throws, outscoring the Bearcats by 18 points from the free throw line. In one of the strangest stat lines you’ll ever see, Creighton defeated Cincinnati despite attempting a stunning 22 fewer field goals. However, Creighton just drove to the basket time and time again and got to the stripe. McDermott himself was a perfect 11 for 11 from the stripe.

The Blue Jays were three-point favorites in this one, so they just narrowly covered the spread. Here were some other betting trends for both teams heading into the crucial clash, courtesy of OddsShark.com:

Cincinnati Bearcats Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
After playing Georgetown are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

Creighton Bluejays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
After playing Wichita State are 6-4
After a win are 7-3

A few Bearcats at Bluejays trends to consider:
Creighton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Creighton is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Creighton’s last 12 games
Creighton is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games

Duke Defeats Albany 73-61

Despite losing to the 15-seeded Lehigh last year, Duke came to play this time against a hungry Albany squad smelling an upset. The Blue Devils were 18-point favorites, once again illustrating the foolish nature of betting public teams like Duke to cover in the tournament.

“They’re Duke for a reason. They’re good for a reason. They have great players all around you,” said Albany guard Jacob Iati after the game. “They play in big games all season long and their whole careers every game is like that for them. For us, it’s like the game of a lifetime; for them, it’s just another day in the park. But I thought we battled. We played to win the game. We didn’t think we were just coming here to play Duke and go home.”

It was just another day at the office for Duke, and despite not covering their mammoth 18-point spread, it was a resounding victory all the same. Here were some other betting trends for both teams courtesy of OddsShark.com:

Duke Blue Devils Trends:
When playing on Friday are 9-1
After playing Maryland are 9-1
After a loss are 9-1

A few Great Danes at Blue Devils trends to consider:
Duke is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Duke’s last 6 games