March Madness: UC-Santa Barbara vs. Creighton Preview

Big West Player of the Year and Big West Tournament MVP JaQuori McLaughlin and the Gauchos will play Creighton on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) (Photo by Tre Penn)
Big West Player of the Year and Big West Tournament MVP JaQuori McLaughlin and the Gauchos will play Creighton on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) (Photo by Tre Penn)

Saturday, March 20: (12) UC-Santa Barbara vs. (5) Creighton

College hoop fans will be anxious to see if 19th-ranked Creighton can bounce back from a devastating 25-point loss to Georgetown in the Big East title game. Creighton shot just 29% from the floor, and 42% from the free-throw line. That’s not the only disappointing outing Creighton has had recently, as they were also thoroughly outplayed by Xavier and Villanova. The Blue Jays will be looking for star guard Marcus Zegarowski to set the tone and give them a chance to avoid further embarrassment.

Santa Barbara finished with a 22-4 record, and are on an upswing, as they have won 5-in-a-row and 18 of their last 19 games. Their best performer, 6’4″ guard JaQuori McLaughlin, was named Big West Conference player of the year. This is the 6th appearance in the Tournament for UCSB, and they have a 1-5 record in the school’s previous showings. The winner of this game faces a very tough opponent in either Virginia or Ohio U. in the next round.

 

On the rebound: Today’s March Madness Previews

 

Sports Betting Analyst
Joe Wiz, NCAA March Madness 2021