Creighton men’s basketball will have to follow one of its worst efforts of the season with one of its best to have a chance at success as No. 2 UConn visits Omaha on Saturday.
“I hope we play better; that’s what I’m looking forward to the most,” Coach Greg McDermott said prior to Friday’s practice. “We had a good practice yesterday. I expect we’ll do the same today, and hopefully have a better effort than we did in Milwaukee.”
The Bluejays (12-9, 6-4 Big East) trailed by as much as 31 in the loss at last-place Marquette Tuesday. They shot 30.3% from the field in the first half and allowed the Golden Eagles to shoot 68.8% en route to the largest halftime deficit the program has faced since the Rick Johnson era.
“We just really got stuck in a rut that first half, on both ends of the floor,” McDermott said.
“We were just half a step late defensively and didn’t have the pace offensively that we had been playing with. Those games happen, unfortunately, during the course of the season. You scratch your head and you wonder why, and it’s our job just to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Blake Harper said the Bluejays learned a lot from the shellacking itself as well as the work in practice and the film room since. They had no choice but to learn.
“That effort was unacceptable, and we kind of came out lackadaisical … ‘Figure it out’ — that’s kind of been the whole motto going into the locker room,” Harper said. “We’ve got to figure some things out. And just that Marquette trip was a disaster, no doubt; that’s not a secret either. We’ve just got to turn the page and lock back in for the No. 2 team in country.”
Josh Dix said he’s seen the team respond well since they’ve returned from Milwaukee.
“We had a tough film session, but we needed that,” Dix said. “We felt like our effort wasn’t where it needed to be on Tuesday, and I think yesterday’s practice, we took a step forward in that direction, and we just have to keep building.”
While the defensive end of the floor has been Creighton’s biggest issue — particularly over the last five games — the Bluejays have also been inconsistent on the offensive end. Too often, possessions have ground to a halt and Creighton has found itself stuck late in the shot clock without generating anything. That issue was present against the Golden Eagles, but it also coincided with an ice-cold shooting performance for a team that led the Big East in 3-point percentage in conference play heading into the game.
“Sometimes it’s movement, sometimes it’s spacing and not creating an opportunity for your teammate because of where you’re standing,” McDermott said. “We watched a lot of that on film yesterday. I think the guys understand it, and let’s be honest, especially the first six minutes of the game, we had some really good looks that we missed that I think really could have changed the complexion of the game had we been able to knock down some of those open 3s.”
Creighton can’t afford to be out of position or to waste any time on Saturday as UConn (20-1, 10-0 Big East) ranks fifth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Huskies are eighth in 2-point percentage allowed (44.6) and seventh in 3-point percentage (28.5), equaling the fourth-ranked effective field goal percentage allowed (44.0). They offer formidable rim protection (10th in block rate at 15.4%), force turnovers at a 19.1% rate (69th) and have only allowed more than 75 points three times all year.
“We’ve got to rebound, that’s where it starts, and then you try to get out in transition and create some opportunities before the defense is set, because once it’s set, it’s really, really good,” McDermott said. “There’s a reason they have the record that they have. They played a gauntlet of a nonconference schedule and played a lot of it with some guys out. The fact that they are where they are — they’ve dealt with some injuries, although it hasn’t been long-term injuries, but guys have missed a game here there, and they found a way to continue to win.”
UConn is strong offensively as well, ranking 39th in adjusted offensive efficiency despite only five players appearing in every game. Five-star freshman Braylon Mullins has missed seven games and is currently working through concussion protocol, though he made the trip to Omaha. Leading scorer Solo Ball has missed a game, and starting center Tarris Reed Jr. has missed five. UConn’s 54.8 effective field goal percentage ranks 53rd, its 35.1% offensive rebounding rate ranks 61st and its 64% assist rate ranks 12th.
“They’ve got Reed in the post; he’s going to present a lot of challenges for us, but then also him being surrounded by a bunch of shooters, that’ll be tough,” Dix said. “They run a bunch of good actions on offense, coming off pin-downs, staggers, all that, so just staying attached to their shooters and helping in the post is kind of what we need to do.”
After splitting time with Samson Johnson in his first season in Storrs, the 6-foot-11, 265-pound Reed has emerged as a go-to force on the block this season as a starter, averaging 14.5 points on 62.3% shooting, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. Backing him up is freshman Eric Reibe, a 7-foot-1, 260-pound center that Creighton recruited hard out of high school. He’s chipping in 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game.
“They’re a really good combo,” McDermott said. “Reed’s been there a few years now and really understands their system. Reibe is someone that we recruited, so we understand his skill set and things that he can do, and they actually bring different things to the table. But the physicality of Reed — offensively, defensively, on the glass — obviously has our attention.”
Ball, the 6-foot-4 junior, is leading the team at 14.8 points per game. After shooting 41.4% from 3 a season ago, he’s down to 28.2% on similar volume this season. Even so, he’s capable of catching fire at any moment and knocked down five triples in UConn’s overtime win against Villanova last week. The Huskies have two other sharp-shooters picking up the slack, however, in senior forward Alex Karaban (41.7% from 3 plus 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game) and Mullins (36.7% from deep plus 11.4 points per game).
Perhaps UConn’s biggest addition, however, is the guy tying it all together. After struggling at the point guard spot a year ago, UConn has seen Georgia transfer Silas Demary step in and solidify things. The 6-foot-4 point guard is averaging 10.4 points, a Big East-leading 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against Bryant and dropped 23 points and 15 assists in an overtime win at Providence.
“I just think he’s a good fit,” McDermott said. “You go back to Tristen Newton, I think he’s doing a lot of the similar things — the way he impacts the game defensively, he distributes, yet he can make enough shots,” McDermott said, “You certainly have to keep him honest that way. Coach [Dan] Hurley found the perfect fit for what their team needed from a point guard.”
While UConn has its share of blowout wins this season, the Huskies have also been terrific in close games. They are 2-0 in overtime and have also played in seven other games that ended within a two-possession margin, winning six of them. Their lone loss was to current No. 1 and unbeaten Arizona, 71-67 on Nov. 19.
“UConn is so tough-minded when the game’s being decided,” McDermott said. “When you think about how much Silas has played college basketball, Solo Ball, Karaban, Reed, these are guys that have played four or five years in college basketball at a high, high level, so they don’t get shook and their execution in late game situations, because of that experience, has been outstanding on both ends. They had no business winning at Providence. They were down 11 with three minutes ago, and they came back and found a way to get it done. I think that experience and understanding of exactly what Danny wants him to do is really, really impressive.”
The Bluejays know full well the task that awaits them on Saturday, and they’re looking forward to taking their best shot at the team currently atop the conference standings.
“It’s a challenge, and you’ve got to answer the call,” Harper said. “This is a must-win for us. I thought yesterday’s day of prep was great, and just focusing on today and just I feel if the prep is good, the game’s got to be good. I feel like guys are locked in. We all have the same attitude and mindset, so I feel like we’re ready to go.”
Tipoff for Saturday’s Pink Out game at CHI Health Center Omaha is set for 7 p.m. CT on FOX, with Tim Brando and Donny Marshall on the call. The first 15,000 fans can claim a free pink T-shirt and fans are also encouraged to grab an “I Stand For” card to participate in the annual “Stand Up to Cancer” moment at the under-8 timeout.
