Oftentimes after a tough loss, all basketball players want to do is get back on the court quickly and try to wash that bad taste out of their mouths with a better performance. The Creighton men’s basketball team didn’t get that option this week after Sunday’s loss at Nebraska.
Instead, the Bluejays had to take a hard look in the mirror with five days before their next game.
“It did suck, but I think our team learned a lot from that game,” Josh Dix said. “We’ve just got to keep learning. We’re not going to be the team that we want to be right now — it’s only December — but we’ve got to keep making progress.”
The reason for the schedule gap is that this is finals week at Creighton. Coach Greg McDermott gave the team Monday off, and Tuesday was a workout day before they hit the practice court again Wednesday. The players’ attention may not have been as completely focused on the work as McDermott may have liked, but he still said the Bluejays had three really good practices leading up to Saturday’s tilt with Kansas State.
“I thought everyone responded really well,” Dix said. “Finals week, I feel like, helped us actually; no class and stuff. Every time I walked in the gym, someone was in there working out. A lot of guys were in the gym. I think a lot of guys were mad about the outcome on Sunday, so good to see.”
The major focus in practice this week has been ball movement. McDermott said the ball stuck far too much against Nebraska. After nine games, Creighton sits at 67th in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom, with the 238th-ranked average possession length.
“It’s a matter of guys are still thinking about what they’re supposed to do, and when you’re thinking about what you’re supposed to do, it can be hard to get to the other stuff,” McDermott said. “Hopefully over time, that gets better.”
While Dix preached patience while the team continues to find itself, he also acknowledged the sense of urgency they feel with Big East play approaching.
“I think it’s just everyone, kind of the chemistry on the court, just kind of finding out where guys are going to be,” Dix said. “We’ve got a bunch of different lineups that we throw out there all the time, so it’s tough. But I feel like once we just start flowing on offense, it’s going to click … I think we’re getting there.”
Creighton’s defense also has plenty of room for improvement, ranking 74th in adjusted efficiency. Their connectedness and attention to detail will be tested on Saturday when the 6-4 Wildcats, featuring the nation’s leading scorer in PJ Haggerty, visit CHI Health Center Omaha.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound transfer from Memphis is averaging 24.0 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 50.9% from the field, 41.7% from 3 and 72.8% from the foul line.
“You have to be there on the catch, and he’s very dangerous in transition,” McDermott said. “It takes more than one guy to get him stopped in transition, so we have to get back and get our defense put together, and then you just have to have elite communication on the ball screens, because if you’re late, he’s going to make you pay.”
Dix will likely draw the initial assignment on Haggerty, the reigning AAC Player of the Year and a second-team AP All-American who is attempting 8.1 free throws per game
“He’s a really good player, super aggressive, wants to get downhill to his right hand, can shoot the 3, and he’s at the foul line a lot, so try not to foul him,” said Dix of the game plan.
While Haggerty is atop the scouting report, he’s not a one-man show. Kansas State has four others averaging double figures, including three others shooting over 40% from 3.
“Obviously, he’s leading the nation in scoring, so he’s very good with the ball in his hands, making plays for himself and for other people,” McDermott said. “But they have other guys that can score. [Nate] Johnson, I think, is a really good player, and they’ve got a multitude of guys who can shoot the basketball.”
Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound guard averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 51.7% from the field and 43.2% from deep. David Castillo, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, is the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.9 points per game on 41.3% shooting from deep.
Collectively, the Wildcats are shooting 40.2% from 3, good for 12th in the nation. Their top sniper is an Omaha native in Abdi Bashir, a 6-foot-7 wing who spent three years at Omaha Bryan before finishing his prep career out of state. After spending his first two seasons at Monmouth, he’s averaging 12.3 points and is shooting 46.1% on 7.6 3-point attempts per game as a Wildcat.
Khamari McGriff, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound senior, is the team’s top paint presence, averaging 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 80.4% from the field.
Kansas State won its first five games — including wins over top-100 opponents in California, Tulsa and Mississippi State — before dropping four in a row — including games against Nebraska, Indiana and Seton Hall. The Wildcats bounced back to blow out Mississippi Valley State 108-49 on Monday.
However, McDermott said after the Nebraska loss that he’s not concerned with their opponents at this stage. His full focus is on his team and working through the issues that have the Jays sitting an 5-4 on the season. He highlighted four things he’ll be looking for from his team on Saturday.
“Energy, enthusiasm, effort, communication; if we can do those things, the result will then be the result,” McDermott said.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on FOX with Brandon Gaudin and Donny Marshall on the call. Creighton is promoting it as a Powder Blue-out, with fans encouraged to wear light blue inside the CHI Health Center. The program will also accept toy donations for the Ronald McDonald House.
