Thursday’s Big East-Big 12 Battle Picks, Predictions, Odds

This year’s version of the Big East-Big 12 Battle is in full swing and both conferences are well represented in the current NCAA Basketball rankings. Texas is ranked second, the highest number for the four Big 12 teams that are listed in the Top 25. Creighton and UConn are seventh and eighth heading into this week’s action. Here are some opinions on the three tilts in this series scheduled for today.

Thursday, Dec. 1

Oklahoma State at UConn
Creighton at Texas
Seton Hall at Kansas

Updated on 12/24/2024

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Oklahoma State at UConn

• Venue: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
• Location: Mansfield, Connecticut
• TV-Time: FS1, 6:30 p.m. ET
• Matchup
• Expert Picks

The first game on the board for NCAA basketball is also the first “Battle” game of the day. Oklahoma State is on a roll, winning four of five in which they allowed an average of 35% from the field and covering the last two against huge spreads.

UConn is perfect on the court and against the spread going 7-0-1 to start their ATS season. They’ve scored 82 or more in all but their last game, and they won that by 18.  That was also the first time that a Huskies and over parlay didn’t hit after cashing in four straight games.

Playing at home has been fruitful for Dan Hurley’s squad and there’s no reason to think that trend won’t continue in an exciting high-scoring affair.

Score Prediction: Oklahoma State 62, UConn 78
Best Bet: UConn + Over Parlay

Creighton at Texas

• Venue: Moody Center
• Location: Austin, Texas
• TV-Time: ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET
• Matchup
• Expert Picks

Creighton lost a tough one in Maui, and they’re still ranked seventh since that loss was to the team that’s currently ranked fourth. They still scored 79 in defeat and had headed into that championship game on a stretch of scoring 80 or more in four of the last five.

Texas is still undefeated including their shellacking of Gonzaga 93-74. The losers’ total was the most points the Longhorns had allowed this season after holding their other four opponents to an average of 47 points. That’s pretty low, especially when your scoring average is over 82.

One would think that if your team was able to hold Gonzaga to 74 points, you might have a decent defense. In the two games since that win, the Longhorns allowed a combined 102 points. In the two games that preceded that victory, they allowed a total of 88 points.

Score Prediction: Creighton 72, Texas 86
Best Bet: Texas

Seton Hall at Kansas  

• Venue: Allen Fieldhouse
• Location: Lawrence, Kansas
• TV-Time: ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET
• Matchup
• Expert Picks

Seton Hall had a tough Thanksgiving holiday trip. The game before they left for the ESPN Events Invitational, they scored 82 points. In every game at the State Farm Field House, they scored less than that finishing with 55 against Siena, losing by five in a game where the Pirates were favored by 14 ½.

Those Tennessee fans went bonkers when the Volunteers upset these same third-ranked Jayhawks 64-50 knocking them down to ninth in the current poll. Kansas came back from that first defeat of the season by trouncing Texas Southern while covering a 25-point spread.

When you bet on the best team in any sport be ready to lay a few more points than you probably should. The house does that because they can get away with it, and KU is no exception. That last cover by the Jayhawks was the first ATS win for them since they beat Duke two weeks ago.

Score Prediction: Seton Hall 60, Kansas 80
Best Bet: Kansas