Confirmation that it's no longer last season is reflected in UConn's complete drop from the rankings after Friday's loss to St John's, the fourth in the last eight for Dan Hurley. The Huskies have also been struggling vs. the spread since before Christmas (3-9 vs. points since mid-December). Three-year star F Alex Karaban looks to have hit the wall, scoring single digits in three of the last four, and just 10 for 41 from the floor across that span. Meanwhile, Creighton has won nine straight and covered ten in a row, and dealing with 7-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner (25.6 ppg, 9 rpg last five) won't be as easy for Hurley without 7-2 Donovan Clingan (now NBA Blazers). Play Creighton.

Huskies have some backcourt issues - can't shoot well enough from distance and turn the ball over too much. Rest of conference ready to pounce on their rare down year. The Jays probably cover here - UCONN 3-9 ATS in conference and 3-11 ATS vs. top 80 teams. But we'll play it safer. Creighton has covered 10 in a row and won 9 straight. They are 11-1-1 ATS in conference. Huskies lost by five at home to the Jays. UConn might be feeling a little sorry for themselves though they have yet to lose consecutive games in conference. Jays don't get enough respect.