The North Dakota Fighting Hawks (1-0) and No. 9 Creighton Bluejays (1-0) clash at the CHI Health Center in Omaha on Thursday night. Tip time will be at 9 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the North Dakota vs. Creighton odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
North Dakota clocked a 65-57 victory over Incarnate Word in its season opener Monday. The Hawks struggled with the Cardinals but pulled away late in that contest. Still, the win was likely a welcome one for a UND program that went just 2-17 after Dec. 15 last season.
The Bluejays are a youthful bunch, but a highly-touted crop of recruits figure to be able to replicate or better CU’s 23-12 mark a year ago. Creighton went 12-7 to place 4th in Big East play and eventually made the NCAA Tournament, where it bowed out in a 2nd-round game. The Bluejays played with their food a bit in their Monday opener — they beat St. Thomas (Minn.) 70-62 but failed to cover a 27.5-point spread.